Behind Blue Eyes
by Prison Song
Summary: (Complete) But my dreams aren't as empty as my conscience seems to be. I have hours, only lonely, my love is vengeance that's never free. - A DracoHermione story.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer - All things Harry Potter related in this story belong to JKR. Please don't sue me.   
  
This story is going to deal with things that a lot of people feel strongly about. It will deal with the changing of our real history, mainly WWII. If this offends you in any way please don't flame me, just don't read.   
  
Those of you who are still interested read on. I promise I'll do my best to make it interesting for you.   
  
-=-=-=-   
  
The cold breeze of the night blew swiftly threw the open windows of the cave, sending the leaves that had come to rest there lofting out into the sky. The flames of the fire flickered slightly before extinguishing altogether, sending a gray stream of smoke towards the rocky ceiling.   
  
A short, pudgy man sat huddled in the corner, clutching his cloak to himself for warmth. As the wind reached him he shuddered and drew his legs closer to his chest. His breathing had grown shallow and each time he exhaled white puffs of air quickly disappeared into the darkness.   
  
Across him, on the opposite wall of the cavern, there lay another man. His head rested peacefully on a down pillow and his skeletal body was covered with numerous blankets. When the fire burned out his eyes flashed open to reveal deep red slits in his sallow face, shining in the blackness.   
  
"Light it." He said in a coarse voice. The smaller man quickly stumbled to his feet and rushed to the place where the fire had been. He pointed at the pile of kindling with a silver hand and muttered a spell into the night. Immediately, dark crimson flames lit the area to show the look of terror and imprisonment that covered his face.   
  
"There you are Master." He stammered, still shivering from the cold. The eyes of his master followed him until he had returned to the corner of the cave. Before long, the red-eyed man fell back into a dreamless sleep and the other began softly whimpering, the hushed cries disrupting the intense silence around him. But he too eventually felt himself begin to drift off to sleep.   
  
The next morning a ray of sunlight shone into the cave and landed on the plump man's eyes, waking him from a terrible nightmare. He awoke covered in a cold sweat, and realizing he had already overslept.   
  
"Oh no," he muttered quietly, careful not to wake his master, "So many chores to do before he wakes up. Be quiet, Peter. Be careful." He crept out of the cave's mouth and began to summon firewood from the surrounding forest. A crisp morning dew was still clinging to the grass around him and making the hem of his robes damp.   
  
He placed the sticks and branches on top of a pile of ash that had been last nights fire. He once again simply pointed at the wood and it burst into flames. His footsteps echoed in the cavern as he exited again, looking for anything edible. Once out of hearing range he began talking to himself again.   
  
"You just need to relax Peter. Your master will care for you. He's promised you everything. Once the plan is put into action everything will be good again. You'll be powerful Peter, more powerful than anyone at school ever would have thought." He reassured himself as he picked berries from the nearby bushes and killed two scrawny rabbits.   
  
He was already behind in his morning tasks, so he put each rabbit on a splint and let them begin roasting while he hurriedly swept the cave opening and placed new wards around the cavern, protecting them from anyone who might come meandering by.   
  
He looked up to see a bird flying away into the sunrise and wished for a moment that he could be more like it. Free and soaring away from all the bad things in the world, leaving them behind.   
  
"Wormtail!" His lord said in a cruel tone. "Where is breakfast?"   
  
"Coming master!" The man called Wormtail replied, stumbling over a loose rock on his return to the cave's entrance. He quickly removed the rabbit from the splint and held it up for his master to eat.   
  
The red-eyed man held out a long, emaciated arm and grasped the morsel, before ravenously devouring it, leaving only the bones and a few pieces of flesh left for his servant.   
  
"Thank you, master." Wormtail said when he was given the scraps. After biting off as much of the meat as possible he tossed the bones in a pile that had slowly begun to grow since they're arrival at the cave nearly a month ago.   
  
"The potion has almost taken its full effect." Said the master. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the rock wall behind him; exhausted from the small excursion eating had been for him.   
  
"Yes, my lord. Soon you will be strong again. Then we will begin working on the-" He was cut off with a cold look.   
  
"We? There has never been a 'we' here. You are simply someone to help make me strong again. And when I am, I will be the one to carry out the plan. If you have not already been completely drained of all use then you shall join my other followers and work alongside them. Never will there be a 'we' in this. You are not worthy." He said icily. The tone of his voice matched their surroundings perfectly, bitter and empty. Without waiting for his servant to reply he continued his speech.   
  
"This time will be different. I have stronger magic and wizards on my side. I can finally triumph over all those who thought me unworthy or inadequate to make anything of myself. Of course, they've already been proved wrong. Now I'll make them pay for their doubts."   
  
-=-=-=-   
  
"Harry, that was brilliant. Never seen anything like it in my life." Ron Weasley said and clapped his best friend on the shoulder.   
  
"It really was amazing Harry. Where did you learn to do that?" Hermione agreed and smiled broadly at him. Harry, using his signature modesty, denied it all.   
  
"It was nothing that either of you couldn't have done. Just a spell Sirius taught me over the summer, that's all. No big deal." He said and tried to wave off the subject, but his two friends wouldn't have it.   
  
"Come on Harry. What spell was it? What does it do?" Ron insisted, knowing that if he asked enough times Harry would eventually cave in and tell them what they wanted to know.   
  
The three friends apparated into a long, pallid corridor lined with dark ebony doors on either side. After walking down the long stretch of the sallow hallway for quite some time, they finally stopped in front of one of the doors. In comparison to its surroundings, it was just another door- but to them, it elicited esteem and prestige. For on the door, there was a plaque, and there engraved on that plaque were three names - their names. And after each name, there was only one word. Auror.   
  
"If I tell you will you let it drop?" Harry finally said and relaxed back into a black leather armchair. Hermione and Ron both smiled and nodded as they sat in their own chairs.   
  
"Fine." He said. "Well, as you know, I spent most of the summer with Sirius and he taught me a lot of dueling spells. That one was called the Acerbitas Curse. Basically it causes whatever injuries the opponent has had to all start hurting simultaneously, making it impossible for them to do anything. The glowing you saw was their skin reacting to having that much happen to it all at the same time. There, happy now?"   
  
"Not really, but you did lighten the mood a bit." Ron raised his wand and summoned a roll from the nearby coffee table. "Another victory to add to the book."   
  
"Right," Hermione said and retrieved the book from her desk. Since they had become an Auror team nearly six months before they had decided to record all the victories they had in a logbook. So far they had had about one a week, each more exciting than the last. As their Auror skills became more advanced every battle they participated in became more complex and involved. So the entries grew longer and longer, and now they were taking up several pages instead of just a few paragraphs.   
  
Her quill scratched against the paper as her hand moved furiously, left to right, recording their conquest. Thee pages later she closed the booklet and placed the feather on top, smiling contentedly.   
  
"Done then?" Harry asked, though he already knew the answer. "Alright then, what do you say we go to dinner? My treat. We haven't eaten in nearly two days."   
  
Ron was about to answer when his stomach did the talking for him. Letting go of all the anxiety they had been put through over the past several days, the friends let go of everything and laughed together until tears of joy gathered in their eyes and ran down their cheeks. When they finally collected themselves Hermione was the first one to speak.   
  
"Dinner sounds great. But I hope you're going to stick to the 'your treat' thing, because I'm awfully hungry." She said and pulled them both to their feet. "Where are we going?"   
  
"I thought we'd just go to Three Broomsticks if that's okay with you two." Harry said and glanced at them briefly for their approval. They both nodded and held their stomachs, before the three of them apparated to the busy streets of Hogsmeade together.   
  
Once they arrived at Three Broomsticks the mood of their conversation grew more conserved and quiet. Madame Rosemerta brought them three butterbeers and a basket of chicken wings before congratulating them and going to help her other customers.   
  
"That was probably our best duel this year." Ron said and took a long drink from his mug. "Maybe even the best one yet."   
  
"No, the one at the end of Hogwarts was the best by far." Hermione said, her eyes glazing over with memory. "Our first one."   
  
"The day Voldemort was defeated." Harry added quietly. The three sat solemnly, each reliving the experience in their own way.   
  
It had been at the end of their final year at Hogwarts, three months before they were to graduate and go their own ways into the wizarding world. The school had been decorated for the occasion, as it was every year, and all the seventh year students were ecstatic at the idea of making it on their own.   
  
That night Voldemort had come to the school through the floo network disguised as a worker from the Ministry and had asked to be taken to the Gryffindor Tower because he had urgent news for Harry about the death of his godfather. He had then taken Harry away after placing him under a full body bind. Ron had heard Harry protesting from upstairs and immediately run to the common room where he witnessed Harry being levitated out of the open window and out into the stormy gray night.   
  
Without hesitating he had woken Hermione up and together they followed their captive friend on two broomsticks, Harry's Firebolt and Ron's second- hand Nimbus 2000.   
  
They had flown for miles until finally arriving outside a tall black castle. They tracked the Dark Lord deep into the heart of the castle and into a large room made of black obsidian that opened to the sky.   
  
In the center of the room was a dueling ring decorated with silver and white serpents around the edges of the circle, all baring their fangs at whoever was inside.   
  
Harry had been at a stand off with Voldemort when they had arrived. Each of the duelers had their wand in the ready position. After sending one glance towards Hermione and Ron, the three students all raised their wands and preformed the killing curse at the same time, defeating the Dark Lord for the final time, or so they thought.   
  
Little did they know that he was slowly regaining his strength.   
  
-=-=-=-   
  
Wormtail stood in awe of the man in front of him. In two short weeks his master had regained all of the strength he could and was now able to perform very powerful magic again.   
  
His master stood tall in front of him, a cruel smile on his face, causing his red eyes to flash in the dim lighting of the cave. He flexed his fingers and drew his wand from a hidden pocket of his faded black robes. As he held it a familiar warmth came over him. The memory of the spells he had preformed in years past came back to him. In his mind he saw the frightened faces of people he had killed, but no faces were more vivid in his mind that those of Lily and James Potter. Their eyes still haunted his soul.   
  
"Master, you are strong again." Wormtail praised. The look of fear vanished from his blood red eyes and he sneered at his servant. "Are you ready to begin work on the plan? There is so much yet to do."   
  
"Yes, I am ready. And soon, just as before, the entire world shall fear me and quake whenever they hear my name. This time the plan will work. There will be no interference, no resistance. They have no idea what's happening. Lord Voldemort will indeed rise again."   
  
-=-=-=-   
  
Once again, this story will deal with the changing of some very touchy subjects in history. If it gets to a point where you no longer want to read feel free to leave. I'm not stopping you. Just no flames about it please because now you've been warned twice.   
  
Now that you took the time to read please click that little blue button down there and tell me what you thought. See, I'm one of those writers who has been spoiled with lots of reviews on some of my stuff so I expect the same here.   
  
So in five reviews you get the next chapter. If I get ten it'll be longer and you'll find out more about the plan. I promise!   
  
REVIEW! 


	2. Chapter Two

Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter, I really appreciate it! And as promised, here's the next part.   
  
-=-=-=-   
  
"Draco, please. I don't ask for much but I am asking you to get out of the house." Narcissa's steel blue eyes pleaded with her son. Draco sat in one of the two black leather study chairs in the library, his feet leisurely stretched out on the ottoman in front of him. He sighed when his mother began her speech and snapped closed the book he had been reading, he knew the speech well; he heard it nearly every day. And every day she received the same answer.   
  
"Mother, I can't go out in public. You know people are still looking for me. You might be safe but that doesn't mean I am." He pushed a piece of white-blonde hair out of his eyes and stared at her, a bored _expression on his face.   
  
"You've gone out before. Can't you just change your appearance like you used to? Your father taught you all those spells, why don't you use them any more?" At the mention of his father Draco's face turned to stone, hiding any emotion he had been feeling previously.   
  
"Don't talk about him Mother, please. I have no father, and that's all there is to it." He hurriedly flipped back to his place in the book and tried to look immersed in the text and willing his mother to just go away.   
  
"Draco, Lucius is dead. I know it's hard for you but I'm tired of seeing you stay as a prisoner in this house! It's supposed to be a happy place full of childhood memories. Not memories of reading and re-reading books on, what is this anyway?" She lifted the spine just enough so she could read the title. "Dragons. Well, at least it's not the Dark Arts. Draco, please. Go to Diagon Alley. I just need you to pick me up a few things.   
  
'Happy place?' He thought to himself. 'Do all happy places come complete with their own elaborate torture chambers, dungeons, and man-eating animals hiding in the shrubberies?'   
  
"Please?" She asked again. "All I need is some more parchment, a few nice quills, and we've run out of ink as well. You'll only have to go to one store. Just change your hair and put on those sunglasses you're so fond of." When he looked into her eyes he knew she had won.   
  
Slowly, he dragged himself out of the chair and reached for his wand on the nearby table.   
  
"Abeo Caesaries." He muttered and his hair turned a vivid black. He grabbed the sunglasses resting next to his wand and slipped them on, hiding his stormy gray eyes. "I'll be back soon." He said and headed for the library door.   
  
He removed one of the long black cloaks from a hook by the door and slung it over his shoulders, pulling the hood over his head. Narcissa watched him with a smile on her face. She didn't really need any of the things she had sent him for but it was nice to see him going somewhere besides his bedroom and the study.   
  
"Be careful!" She called after him before he was out of earshot. He turned back and gave her a small smile before apparating from his place with a soft crack and reappearing in the middle of Thee Broomsticks.   
  
Draco almost ran into an elderly couple on his way out the door. He swerved to avoid them and found himself standing directly in front of a table that seated none other than his three school rivals, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. They were deeply involved in a discussion on what sounded like a very complex magical duel and their faces were all glowing with pride.   
  
He stood dumbfounded and stared at them, loosing track of time. He hadn't seen them in half a year and being near the three people brought back more memories of school than he had known he had.   
  
Hermione shifted nervously in her seat, her back facing him. She turned and looked up at him, trying to figure out if she knew him. Her cinnamon eyes searched his dazed _expression for any familiarities.   
  
"Can we help you?" She said kindly, her eyes still darting left to right and back again. He snapped out of his gaze and looked at each of their faces.   
  
"N-no." He stuttered, slowly backing away from the table. "Sorry to disturb you." Draco stuck his hands into the deep pockets of his cloak and turned quickly on his heel towards the exit. He collided with Madame Rosemerta who was carrying a tray bearing several mugs of butterbear, and sent both of them flying, also causing the drinks to sail through the air and thus shattering the mugs when they made contact with the wooden floor.   
  
His eyes flashed from the scene playing out before him to the three astonished faces at the nearby table. His pale _expression turned bright red with fright, humiliation, and surprise. He fled from the pub without saying another word and didn't stop to breath again until he was safely concealed inside Flourish and Blots.   
  
-=-=-=-   
  
Hermione remained shaken long after the dark stranger had left. She silently sipped her drink and listened while Harry and Ron went over the latest Quidditch standings. Part of her reached out to him. He looked so alone and small with his shoulders hunched over and his gaze aimed downwards.   
  
She could tell he had been uncomfortable and startled when she had spoken to him. Like her voice had struck a chord inside him and began playing a song there.   
  
She felt like she knew him. His presence was familiar and unnerving. She recognized the way his hair had fallen carelessly in his eyes and how his face was a shield to anything he felt. She knew he had felt the same when he saw Ron, Harry, and her as well. The same _expression had flickered on his face as the one that she wore when she saw him. But she couldn't place him, didn't know who he was.   
  
"Earth to Hermione. Come in Hermione." Ron said, drawing her out of thought. She cleared her head by taking a long drink from her mug and turned her attention to her two friends.   
  
"Sorry, what were we talking about?" She said.   
  
"You zoned out there for a minute 'Mione. Sure you're okay?" Harry said, his green eyes searching her.   
  
"Fine, just thinking." She said, yawning in the middle of her sentence. "Do you know what time it is?"   
  
"Almost nine." Ron said, glancing at the clock hanging on the opposite wall. "We should probably head home, getting late."   
  
"Right." His two friends said in unison. The three left the money they owed on the table and stood up.   
  
"Night." They all said to each other before each apparating to their own apartments.   
  
Hermione walked aimlessly around her bare flat. She had lived there for a little over five months yet the rooms still looked empty and the walls were still stark white. She had no family pictures or paintings to hang on them. She didn't spend much time at home. She was always off working and rarely spent the entire night there. The few pieces of furniture she owned were the ones she had felt were absolutely necessary to own after graduation.   
  
She entered her small kitchen and swung open the refrigerator door, staring at the contents inside, an expired carton of milk and a two-week-old turkey sandwich. Sighing, she threw both items into the trash bin before picking up the telephone.   
  
"Hello, I would like to place a delivery order." She said to the person on the other end. "One small sausage and pepperoni pizza with double cheese and a small Diet Coke please." She gave the waiter her name and address and took some money from her billfold to pay for her food when it arrived.   
  
While she waited she pulled a stack of papers from her briefcase and began pouring over the information on the case Harry, Ron, and she would take part in the next day. A wizard, still not prepared to accept Voldemort's demise, had sent the dark mark into the sky and begun a small riot. The group had died down after several hours but in that time period they had murdered several Muggles and severely tortured one of the Ministry's officials.   
  
A sharp knocking on the door drew her away from the mass of papers to retrieve her dinner. She thanked and paid the deliveryman, clicking the door shut and taking the pizza box back to her chair and beginning to eat.   
  
During her second slice a piece of cheese fell onto a page of Percy's report of the situation, breaking her concentration. She stared at the food in her hand and her briefcase in the other and moaned.   
  
"I have no life." She said to herself and slammed the case closed. "I just got home from a three day work trip and what do I do? I order take out and work some more."   
  
Hermione threw what was left of the pizza in the trash and headed for her bedroom. Completely exhausted, she collapsed onto the bed with her clothes still on and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.   
  
-=-=-=-   
  
"I'll take three rolls of parchment, two of those golden eagle quills, and an ink well please." Draco said nervously and fingered the various coins in his pocket.   
  
"Yes, of course sir." The clerk said and retrieved the materials. That'll be five knuts and two sickles." Draco grabbed the parcel and threw the money onto the counter with a muttered thanks. He quickly apparated back to the sanctuary of the library. Narcissa sat in the place he had previously occupied, reading his book.   
  
She looked up at him when he arrived and smiled. Elegantly, she rose from the chair and took the supplies he had clutched so tightly in his hands that his knuckles were white, even paler than usual.   
  
"Thank you Draco." She said and kissed him on both cheeks, her pink tinted lipstick contrasting greatly on his blood-drained face. He looked at her wide-eyed and turned on his heel, striding with great speed towards his bedroom.   
  
Once inside he locked the mahogany door and leaned his back against it. Breathing in deeply for the first time since he had encountered his past schoolmates.   
  
The air rushed in and out of his lungs as he slid to the floor, resting his head against the door behind him. Seeing them again had made him realize how much his life had changed since he had last seen them.   
  
He was no longer the immature, snobbish kid he had been at school. The death of his father had changed him for the better in many ways. He realized how much pain he had put people through and how it felt to be pitied, something he had never been before.   
  
People had hated Lucius Malfoy. There had been people celebrating in the streets after his funeral. Draco didn't blame them. After his death he had begun to hate him too. His father never let him in on the horrible things he did; he had chosen to keep them all a secret.   
  
After the burial Narcissa had taken him aside and sat them both down on a stone bench in the garden.   
  
"There are some things you have to know about your father, Draco." She had said, tears rimming the still blueness of her eyes. He hadn't liked the tone she used during the beginning of their talk. He had always loved his father and modeled himself in his image.   
  
He remembered not being able to look into his mother's eyes throughout their conversation. Not wanting to believe anything she said to be true. Not wanting to be trapped in that garden listening to the terrible things his father had done.   
  
So he had tried to become like one of the statues that surrounded him, still and lifeless, cold and silent. But he couldn't block out everything.   
  
"Draco I was never in love with your father." She had started. He had continued to stare at the ivy growing up and over the curves of a statue several feet away from him. "I couldn't tell you until now. But, oh, how I wanted to."   
  
"I was three years below your father at Hogwarts when we were in school. He was never concerned with personality or compassion. Beauty was the only thing that mattered to him. He told me once that I looked like a more feminine and delicate version of himself, and that's why he chose me. He said we would have a beautiful child together, and we did."   
  
"After I graduated he placed me under a very strong Imperious Curse, so strong only an extremely powerful wizard could have fought it, and even then they would have had an exceptionally hard time fully overcoming it. I have been under the spell for nearly twenty years. It was lifted when he was murdered."   
  
Her tears had begun to fall but she was a strong woman and she carried on, ignoring them.   
  
"He ruined any chance of a happily ever after I could have had with the man I loved, for he believed me a traitor when I married Lucius. The only good thing that came out of that dreadful marriage was you Draco. You're my whole life now."   
  
"Were you ever in love Mother?" He had asked tentatively, his eyes never leaving the marble statue.   
  
"Yes actually ff you can believe that. I was deeply in love while I was at school and we had talked about planning a future together after graduation, but it never happened."   
  
"With who?" He had interjected.   
  
"It doesn't matter any more. It's ancient history by now, he's long gone." Her tears had stopped falling and a glaze formed over her face, turning its smooth whiteness into solid ivory stone.   
  
"Your father took him from he, helped to frame his downfall. Lucius was not a good person. Most people said he was rotten, that he had had a bad childhood. But that's no excuse for what he was. It's never too late to change, Draco. Remember that and don't do what he did."   
  
She had grasped his hand in both of her smaller ones and brought it to her lips, kissing the palm lightly. She had then hugged him tightly to her and returned to the handful of guests who had come to the funeral.   
  
He remembered the day like it was yesterday, although it had happened four months ago. The odious fire still fueled him to go on.   
  
The day's events played back through his head in slow motion, reliving every detail slowly and picking up on things he hadn't noticed before. He had been so overcome with shock at the time he hadn't noticed the midnight blue robes the three wizards had worn, the uniform of an Auror.   
  
'They're all Aurors.' He thought and ran a hand through his hair, reminding himself it was still black. He quickly reversed the spell and tossed his wand across the room so it landed on his feather bed. Lupin always said they would be. Perfect for the job of course, fit right into the description. They probably make a great team.' He yawned, reminding himself how late it was getting, and shook the hair out of his eyes.   
  
'Aurors were always father's nemesis.' He thought as he crawled under his black silk sheets after changing into his pajamas and turning off the light. 'They fought for everything he despised. The good in the world, truth, happiness.'   
  
He opened his eyes suddenly. 'That's it,' he thought to himself. 'It's the only way.'   
  
At that moment Draco knew what he had to do to overcome his father's destiny for him. He must become an Auror.   
  
He quickly lept from his bed and walked briskly down the hallway to where his mother still sat in the library. The marble floors felt cold against his bare feet. He knocked lightly on the open door to announce his presence.   
  
"Draco?" She said and looked at him, a line of confusion on her forehead. "What's wrong?"   
  
"Nothing's wrong." He said as he quickly walked across the room and sat opposite her on the ottoman of the chair, taking her hand. "Do you remember how you told me that it's never to late to change?" He watched her eyes carefully, almost pleading with his own for her to understand.   
  
"Yes, Draco." She said softly and squeezed his hand, watching him quizzically. "What's all this about?"   
  
"I realized tonight that the only way I can keep from becoming like Father is to become the exact opposite of him." Draco said, looking into her eyes, and searching desperately for an ounce of realization, but he only saw incomprehension.   
  
"What are you talking about? I don't understand, Draco." She said, straining her mind to figure out exactly what it is he was trying to tell her.   
  
"I need to become an Auror, Mum." He said and a wave of fear swept across her fair face.   
  
She stood suddenly.   
  
"When I told you that you needed to get out of the house I didn't mean you had to leave me." She whispered, her blue eyes now only showing him grief. "What about the dangers, Draco? What will you do if someone recognizes you; realizes who you are and tries to kill you? Where will that leave me? I can't stand to lose you, you're all I have." She was tugging at her hair nervously, looking at him in distressed anxiety.   
  
"I'll be careful. I promise. No matter what, I won't get caught. I can't afford to." He said as he pulled her hands away from her hair and gently wrapped his arms around her frail body. She was the only one he had ever really loved.   
  
He felt her quake a little in his arms and she glanced up, brushing his hair away from his eyes, her finger lingering on his cheek as she studied his face.   
  
"Use a disguise." She said, automatically beginning to pace the room thinking of ways to protect her only child. She veered around and pointed a finger at him. "And a pseudo name, your real one carries too much bad luck with it."   
  
Draco watched her intently. He noticed she had begun crying.   
  
"Mum. . .come here," he said, patting the chair across from him.   
  
She walked over quickly and sat back down, immediately grabbing onto his shoulders and holding him tightly to her.   
  
"Draco, be careful. Please, come back to me, son." He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply as he stroked her hair, trying to keep from crying.   
  
He let out a ragged breath before he stood to go back to his room. As he crossed the threshold of the door he turned back around and studied his weeping mother. She smiled weakly, her eyes glistening slightly.   
  
He sniffed, blinking, and returned her smile.   
  
"Don't worry, I will."   
  
-=-=-=-   
  
Yes, I know, a very sappy ending. Cut me some slack though, please? I promise I won't do it too often. It has been proven in many studies that the right dose of sappiness is good for your mental health. Well, not really.   
  
Seven reviews and you can have the next chapter.   
  
REVIEW! 


	3. Chapter Three

Once again, thank you to everyone who reviewed!  
  
-=-=-=-  
  
"My power has fully returned. It's time Wormtail. Get my things." Lord Voldemort said and watched, amused, as his servant scurried around the cave gathering his belongings. The short wizard stumbled over a rock and sent his pack flying in all directions. He whimpered as he rose and limped to retrieve the parcels. "You're sure the preparations have been made?"  
  
"Yes, master, of course. So far there are five in the United Kingdom alone and several along the coast of Greenland. Soon they will be functioning perfectly." Wormtail tied the scraps of food in a handkerchief and placed them haphazardly into his pack.  
  
"Good. Everything is going according to plan. Soon I will once again conquer over all the worthless Muggles and Mudbloods just as I was meant to do." He chuckled icily and his servant cringed at the sound. "The camps will house at least 1,500 each."  
  
"If not more." Interjected Wormtail. His master only nodded along, his face sneering in triumph.  
  
"Let's go then. We must observe each destination before putting the entire plan into motion."  
  
"Are you up to Apparate, my lord?" Wormtail answered, knowing if his master wasn't he would have to perform a very difficult Portkey Charm.  
  
"Of course I am, fool. Hurry up, I haven't got all day." His red eyes flashed at his servant before both men disappeared with a loud crack and reappeared immedietly in southern England.  
  
Voldemort glanced around where he had emerged and simpered. Surrounding him was a large desert that stretched as far as the eye could see. Small buildings dotted the horizon. They appeared to be made of some type of metal. It glistened a bright blue in the sun, unlike anything he had even seen before.  
  
He was standing in some sort of entryway, the only one he could see. A tall black fence encompassed the entire area, destroying any hope of escape. Several people dressed completely in ebony were patrolling the boarders, their eyes on the horizon.  
  
"Yes, yes this will do quite nicely." He said to himself, drumming his fingertips together as he surveyed the land. "Get detainees to occupy this one as soon as possible. I trust the others are the same as this?"  
  
"Exactly the same." Wormtail said eagerly, glad his efforts had finally paid off. "The layouts of the other camps differ slightly but other than that they are identical."  
  
"Very well. This outing has tired me Wormtail. Take me to the main house so I can regain my strength." He said arrogantly. "We will explore the others tomorrow."  
  
"As you wish Master." The two men walked slowly off into the fading dusk.  
  
-=-=-=-  
  
Draco timidly approached the Ministry of Magic building. All of the belongings he had brought with him were in a small, black dragon hide bag he had swung over his shoulder. He once again had turned his hair black and gotten his mother to help him take off some of the length so it now hung just below his chin. Narcissa had also suggested a slight aging charm so his features would be too recognizable. He had refused to have wrinkles but he did look more tired and worn than he had before.  
  
He looked up and read the welcome sign through his dark tinted lenses, and, taking a deep breath, he entered. Immediately he was swept up in the commotion inside, but he somehow made his way to the front desk.  
  
"Hello." He said, removing his glasses and looking at the young witch behind the counter. "I heard you were looking for someone to fill the Auror position?"  
  
"Yes, we are." She said, smacking her gum and smiling flirtatiously at him. "Please fill this form out and then go down the hall on your right to the Phoenix Room for your test."  
  
"Test? What test?" He stuttered, his eyes widening with surprise.  
  
"The Auror test silly. You didn't think you just had to fill out a form and voila, we'd hire you did you?" She winked and went back to filing through her paperwork.  
  
"Well, yes, actually. No matter, I'll give these back to you in a second." He motioned to the forms.  
  
Taking a quill out of his pocket, he began to fill out the form.  
  
Name: Adonis Migro  
  
Draco and Narcissa had gone to great lengths to have the name on all of his paperwork and his birth certificate officially changed. Now when he said his name wasn't Draco Malfoy he wouldn't be lying.  
  
Age: 18  
  
Previous Place of Work: None, though I have had a lot of Dart Arts experience.  
  
He quickly jotted down the rest of his answers and returned the paperwork to the receptionist. She pointed the hall he needed to go down and wished him good luck.  
  
Draco didn't think he had ever been so nervous in his entire life. His knees began to quake as he trekked down the hall and he had to recollect himself before he was able to enter the room.  
  
He opened the door and found himself in the middle of a stark white cube, all of the walls gleaming they were so clean. The room was completely empty. He turned to leave, sure he was in the wrong place, but found the door had disappeared behind him. He was trapped.  
  
His footsteps echoed off the floor as he walked the perimeter of the space, looking for anything he might have missed at first glance, but found nothing. Sighing, he took five steps forward and sat in the middle of the room, waiting for anything to happen. He rested his elbows in his knees and waited.  
  
No sooner had he sat down than the floor was suddenly covered with a thick green slime. It burned his hands as he pushed himself up, reaching for his wand. The substance became to hiss as it came into contact with the soles of his shoes.  
  
'We learned about this in Potions last year.' He thought frantically, trying to avoid anymore contact with it than he had to. He backed up against the wall and his neck began to burn. The slime had begun to drip off the ceiling and run down the sides of the room as well. 'What is it? It's . . .'  
  
"Condensus Potion!" He yelled and raised his wand. "Deliquesco!"  
  
The potions immediately disappeared and the room was gleaming again.  
  
"Test." He muttered.  
  
The ceiling of the room began to swirl. It reminded him of being in the eye of a hurricane. Hundreds of small, wormlike creatures began raining down on him.  
  
"Tewsims." He said, exasperated. He recognized them from his last year at Hogwarts. If you received a bite from one of these creatures you could be paralyzed for up to a year. "Why didn't I ever pay attention in Care of Magical Creatures?"  
  
He racked his brain for anything that would make the creatures go away. One lesson his father had given him suddenly sprang to mind.  
  
"Many of the things you encounter in this world will be unwelcome." Lucius had said. "There's only one legal spell that will get rid of all of them. Repeat after me Draco: Caedes."  
  
"Caedes!" Draco shouted. The Tewsims shriveled up into a fine dust and were sucked back up into the now still ceiling.  
  
'What more is going to happen?' He thought as he held his wand in the ready position. The room was eerily silent, and he could hear his heart beating wildly in his chest. Before he could do anything else all light left the room and he was surrounded in complete blackness.  
  
An ear-splitting shrieking filled the room, and he covered his ears with his hands, trying to see into the blackness at whatever was making the sound. It was as if a thick black cloak surrounded him. The intense darkness was beginning to smother him and he found it hard to breathe.  
  
He remembered Snape telling him of some of the poisonous gasses dark wizards had created. Some killed you slowly and were undetectable, some blocked out light, and some killed you instantly.  
  
Draco soon recognized the gas as being Aquilus Gas based on the conditions around him. It reflected light and slowly removed all oxygen from the area, leaving the victim helpless. The shriek was said to haunt wizards long after the gas had disappeared. It drove some to the brink of insanity. Many dark wizards would fill their enemies homes with it at night. If you were sleeping and the gas surrounded you, you would sleep through it and never wake up in the morning. It was one of their more deadly devices.  
  
"Extabesco." He said quietly and with great effort as the last of the oxygen was drained from his lungs. The room went from black to white instantly, and he was temporarily blinded. He collapsed to the ground, breathing in deeply.  
  
When he looked up again a tall, wiry, red-haired man was standing above him.  
  
"You've done well Adonis. It is my pleasure as Minister of Magic to welcome you to our Auror squad." He held out a hand and helped Draco to his feet.  
  
"You-You're a Weasley aren't you?" Draco stuttered. He brushed off the dirt and grime from his robes.  
  
"Yes. Arthur Weasley to be exact. Nice to meet you." Arthur began to walk towards the now visible door.  
  
"When did you become Minister?" Draco asked, hesitantly following him out the door. The hall was still buzzing with excitement. All of the workers darted out of the way when Arthur opened the door, he grinned at them and continued on his way. Draco had to push his way through the crowd to keep up with the taller man.  
  
"Well, when Fudge passed away last summer they thought me the most qualified replacement I suppose. I'm not really sure why they gave me the job. I'm grateful for it however, and I know my family is. I haven't had the chance to make many changes yet though. However, I do plan to instate better Muggle/Wizard relations. That's what we're working towards now. I suppose it's a blessing in disguise, so to speak. It does take away from the time I spend with my family, but all my children are gone now. Ginny, my youngest, is close to graduation and then she's moving to Albania to become a part of our Ministry branch there."  
  
He shrugged as if the position meant nothing to him. Draco couldn't realize why his father had hated this man so much. So far he seemed very cheerful and extremely friendly. Then again, that was everything his father had not been.  
  
"You'll be joining our most recent group of Aurors to join our force. Since they are a trio and normally Aurors fight in groups of four you'll be added to their office."  
  
They had turned the corner and were now walking down a long, much less crowded hallway. Arthur abruptly stopped at one of the many, identical doors in the hall and swung it open.  
  
"Adonis Migro, let me introduce you to the Aurors Potter, Weasley, and Granger."  
  
Draco felt as if he could have fainted right then. He felt more than saw the three sets of eyes settle on him and look him over.  
  
"Right then, I'll see you four later. Good luck Adonis." Arthur clicked the door shut and left the four to get to know one another. Harry was the first one to act. He stood from his chair and approached Draco.  
  
"Welcome to the team. We've been wondering when they'd give us a forth." He shook his hand firmly and gave a warm smile.  
  
"Yeah, welcome aboard." Ron added, also shaking his hand. "Good to have you with us."  
  
Hermione stayed seated, studying him just as she had the night they had had their encounter at The Three Broomsticks. Her eyes darted across his face like she was looking at a famous painting for the first time, trying to take in every brushstroke.  
  
"Nice to meet you." She said sounding a bit dazed. Her eyes settled on his for the first time. Her rich cinnamon eyes peered into the stormy grayness of his. She saw the fear that was hidden in them and the self-doubt he had in himself. Their gaze held for a moment before the intensity of her eyes forced him to look away, not sure that he could take anymore. She stood and walked over to him, shaking his hand much more gently.  
  
"I'm Hermione Granger, welcome to the team." He continued to look at the floor and let his hand drop from hers.  
  
"Adonis Migro." He said quietly. The name still sounded foreign on his tongue, and his mind screamed that he was lying, that everything he would do from here on would be false.  
  
His three partners had stepped together in front of him like a small barrier. He didn't see how he would ever overcome it. He looked from face to face and smiled slightly. Things could definitely be worse.  
  
-=-=-=-  
  
Sorry it took so long! I really am. I had exams and the end of school and junk like that. But now I'm on SUMMER BREAK! So I'll have more time to write and you'll have more time to read and think up good reviews right? * wink *  
  
Ten reviews and I'll give you the next chapter.  
  
REVIEW! 


	4. Chapter Four

Sorry it took me so long to even get started on this chapter. My friend and I have started a story together (Which is up now if you want to read it. It's called "Never an Absolution" by Chalice) and I've been working my little heart out on that.

Things are going to start getting a little confusing with Draco's pseudo name. So just try and remember, Adonis and Draco are the same person, but Draco and Narcissa are the only people that know that.

-=-=-=-

Draco apparated back to his flat and immedietly cast off his new blue work-robes. He hung them carefully in his closet and clicked the door closed. He looked around the small apartment and sighed. How Draco longed to be back in the comforts of his own home. Surrounding him were dozens of cardboard boxes holding what things he felt necessary to bring with him.

His black eagle owl rattled his cage impatiently, showing his need to be free in the night sky. He crossed the room in three strides and unlocked his cage, letting him fly off into the darkness outside.

He quickly rummaged through one of the boxes and found a pair of cotton pajamas to wear to bed. Slipping them over his head, Draco crawled onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling. He hadn't found the nicest place to live. Whoever had occupied the apartment before him hadn't done a very good job of taking care of the space. He had already discovered several things that needed to be fixed, and as he gazed up at the ceiling he saw countless water stains from the leaky roof.

His mind began to wander as it usually did before he fell asleep. He thought of his mother. She now lived alone in the vast Malfoy Manor with only the house elves to keep her company. He didn't worry too much, Narcissa was still well liked among the wizarding world because people recognized that nothing she did that involved Lucius was her fault. He also thought of his new lifestyle. If his father had still been alive it was likely that he would have disowned his son for what he was doing. Not only was he working for the enemy, but he was partnered with three of the people Lucius had told him to despise the most. The legendary boy-who-lived, a Muggle lover, and a Mudblood were not exactly his father's idea of a great group of people to associate with.

To Draco, they seemed like perfectly nice people. For the second time that day he cursed his father's judgment on people. Had he known during school what he knew now, he might have actually befriended these people and not have been so alone.

"To be truly powerful you cannot get attached to people, Draco." Lucius had told him at a young age. For his entire adolescent life Draco had lived by that saying, and he made sure that he avoided anyone he could learn to like.

Images of his partners and his father played through his mind as he slowly drifted into slumber.

-=-=-=-

"This is the first group of them?" Voldemort said as he gazed down at the line of prisoners entering the gate. They were all shaking in fear as the gates melded together behind them, destroying any evidence that there had ever been a opening in the dark stone. 

The women clung to their children, trying to protect them from their unknown surroundings. The Dark Lord laughed mercilessly as he witnessed several of them try to apparate. There were wards placed on every inch of their surroundings. Nothing Voldemort didn't want to happen would occur within the walls of the prison.

"This is indeed improved from our last failed attempt." He said to himself. His red eyes shone illogically as he turned to his servant. "You do remember our last attempt don't you, Wormtail?"

The shorter man nodded his head yes, but in his heart he knew he would hear the story again. His master had that look in his eye again, the look that he always got when he recalled his past.

"It happened nearly fifty years ago. I had only been out of school for a few years and was still looking for my calling out in the real world. I had always been good at bending people to my will and was searching for a place where that skill could be used. I was sitting in a German coffee house one morning when this young man came stumbling in.

"He looked as though he was barely scraping by for money and food. I could tell by his stench that he hadn't bathed in days. He was the person I had been looking for. I motioned for him to sit down at my table and offered him my cup of coffee, which he accepted graciously and thanked me repeatedly.

"He told me his name was Adolf, and that he had left home several weeks ago to make it on his own. I told him that I had a vacant bedroom in my apartment and that he was free to live there until he got on his feet. Over time he began to trust me tremendously and thought me to be his great friend. Little did he know that I was like a poison, slowly invading his bloodstream and overtaking his brain.

"He had already begun to show signs of loyalty to me, doing almost anything I asked him to without questioning my motives. Before long I had him under my complete control. By this time I had already built several on the penitentiaries. They were fully functional and awaiting their first set of detainees.

"I convinced him that the worthless Muggles and Mudbloods were malicious, and therefore should be destroyed. Under my lead, he became a natural leader. People listened to him and followed what he said. Soon the encampments I had previously built were not enough to hold everyone, and we built more and more, until almost all of the Muggles and Mudbloods in all of Europe were locked away.

"Unfortunately, the Ministry found out about my scheme and teamed up with the armies of Europe and the United States to fight against us for the freedom of my hostages. I had been prepared for this of course. Heaven forbid Dumbledore would ever leave me to my own business. He always kept a close eye on me, even after I had left school.

"However, my forces were not enough to overcome his. I suspect to this day that he had placed an advanced defending charm on all of his fighters, even stronger than mine. After the defeat Adolf and I were left alone among the ruin of my once great prison. I killed him of course, I had no need for him anymore, and fled the area before Dumbledore or any of his angelic followers could find me.

"But nothing of that sort will happen this time. I am more prepared than ever, more precautions have been made. Yes, this time it will be perfect."

-=-=-=-

The next morning Hermione entered the office a few minutes late. She brushed her hair back behind her shoulder and shut the door behind her. All three of her partners were hard at work in their desks, occasionally yelling something over their shoulders to the other two. They hadn't even realized she had entered the room.

She casually walked over to her own desk and placed her coffee mug down on a coaster and sat down in her chair. It squeaked with her added wait, and, in unison, the three men turned around to greet her. Harry and Ron mumbled their usual "Hey 'Mione," and returned to their work. Adonis nodded briefly at her and held her eyes for a moment before returning to his work as well. Long after she had begun her paperwork his gray eyes still haunted her.

Her eyes skimmed over the mountains of information before her. Something was repeatedly occurring paper after paper. In the past twenty-four hours there had been over two hundred disappearances in England alone. There were also several reported in France and Italy.

"Guys," She said and spun her chair around quickly, "have you found anything about people vanishing in your papers? I have at least a couple hundred people who simply evaporated into thin air, and no one seems to be able to find them."

"I've got about fifty." Harry said and handed them to her over his shoulder.

"Twenty or so here." Ron said and placed them on the edge of the desk. She picked them up and added them to her pile.

"I have at least a hundred." Adonis said quietly. He straightened a large stack of papers and gave them to her. "That's almost four hundred people. Where could they all have gone?"

"I don't know. Ron, take these to your dad. Maybe he knows what's going on." She thrust the stack of papers at him and he made his way to the door.

"Alright, Harry you come with me. Hermione, Adonis, you two see if you find anymore missing people." The two wizards left the room. The office fell into a state of uncomfortable silence. 

Half an hour later Hermione and Adonis both gave up.

"I've been through these stacks five times. I think we've found all of them." She said and put all the excess paperwork in the file cabinet.

"Yeah, so what have we got? Fifty or so more to give to them when they get back?" Adonis tossed the remainder of his papers into the wastebasket.

"Don't do that! We might still need those for something." Hermione said and pulled them out, filing them in the cabinet with the others.

"You're very uptight, you know that?" He said and smirked slightly. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I know. When you've been friends with Harry and Ron for as long as I have though you kind of have to be. Otherwise they'd be dead by now." She laughed and sat down in the chair across from him. "They were always getting themselves into sticky situations when we were younger."

Adonis shifted nervously in his seat. School was not something he was looking forward to discussing. He hadn't prepared all of what he would tell people about his childhood. 

"Keep it simple," Narcissa had said, "don't go into detail."

"Yeah, they seem like the type that could get into trouble if they wanted to." He said and sent her a small, knowing smile. He knew all too well that they could get into trouble when they wanted to. He had been the victim of their escapades more than once.

"That's why they've kept me around for so long." She said and sighed. "So what about you? Did you go to Hogwarts too?"

"No." He said quietly, dreading what he was about to tell her. "I went to Beauxbatons. Not really much to say."

"Hmm…" She mused, not really knowing what else to say. They sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. The door banged open and Harry and Ron re-entered the room.

"There have been disappearances reported from every sector here today." Ron said and dropped down into his chair.

"We've got about a hundred more." Adonis said and motioned towards the pile of paper in Hermione's hands. "Did you find out where they've all gone?"

"That's the thing," Harry said and sat between Hermione and Ron. "No one has any idea. Everyone who reported the disappearances just said they vanished into thin air and never came back. They could be anywhere."

"This sounds so familiar." Hermione said and put her head in her hands, trying to rack her brain for what she knew was hidden there. 

"I know what you mean." Adonis said and scratched his head. "I swear I've heard something like this before." Harry groaned and looked at Ron.

"Our new partner's the male version of Hermione." He said, and they both grimaced. Hermione glared at them.

"That wouldn't be such a bad thing." Adonis retorted in his and Hermione's defense. "At least I'd be smart." Hermione shot him a thankful smile.

"Too smart." Ron said under his breath. Hermione picked up the snitch shaped stress ball from her desk and threw it at him. He caught it easily from years of experience as a keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"I'm going to the library to try and figure this out. Anyone want to come?" Hermione gathered her things and waited in the doorway.

"Sorry Mione, but it's time to go, and I'm not a big fan of unnecessary overtime." Harry and Ron both averted their eyes and exited the office.

"Well I'll go. It'll drive me up the wall if I can't figure out why this sounds so familiar." Adonis said and grabbed his coat. "Shall we?"

They apparated outside the wizard library and walked inside.

"Alright, I guess we should start in the reference section." Hermione pulled her hair back from her face and walked towards the books on her left.

After two hours of pouring over thick books, Adonis sighed triumphantly and shook Hermione's arm to get her attention.

"Listen to this," he said and cleared his throat. "During what muggles called the holocaust, a man by the name of Adolf Hitler, under the control of the dark lord, slaughtered thousands of muggles and muggleborns. The people were reported to simply disappear into thin air, and most were never seen again…"

"That's it!" She shrieked happily and received a harsh look from the librarian. "Adonis that's it! The holocaust… I remember learning about that in muggle school before going to Hogwarts. Is that where you heard it?"

"Are you kidding? My father, letting me go to a muggle school." The minute the words had left his mouth he regretted them. She looked at him inquisitively.

"Your father? What did he-"

"It doesn't matter anymore. It's in the past." He returned to the book and carefully ripped out the page.

"What are you doing?!" She hissed as he folded up the piece of paper and placed it in his pocket.

"I'll return it." He said in the same tone that a child caught drawing on the walls would use. "Just not anytime soon."

Hermione stared open-mouthed and wide-eyed after him. There was definitely something about the way he held himself that was familiar to her, but she wouldn't quite place where she knew it from. She came back to reality and trotted after him.

"Alright, well, I'll see you tomorrow." She said and slung the strap of her work bag over her shoulder.

"Night, Hermione." He said and they both apparated home.

Hermione let her hair fall around her shoulders as she prepared for bed.

_Something about Adonis is eerily familiar... but what? Every time I look at him I know that I've met him somewhere before. Especially his eyes, I've seen them before. He has amazing eyes._

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks.

_Oh no, I'm _not_ mixing business with pleasure. It just doesn't work out._

…

_He is quite handsome though._

She sat on the foot of her bed and began to scrutinize the facts they had learned that evening.

_If this is what I think it is, then the last time You-Know-Who tried this, he had most of his activity in Germany… Where will it be this time?_

-=-=-=-

I'm once again sorry for the wait. It's a little longer than usual though, that should please you!

(I'm stealing this line from the story my friend and I wrote) I say this with the utmost sincerity; Review… or die. ::grin::


	5. Chapter Five

Once again, sorry for the long update. I'm personally very proud of this chapter so I hope it'll make up for the lack of updates.

Also, I plotted out this story before Order of the Phoenix was released, so if any of the facts don't match up please excuse them.

-=-=-=-

Adonis hurried into the office. He hadn't been able to figure out exactly how to work his muggle alarm clock and it had gone off an hour later than it was supposed to, leaving him only half an hour to get up and ready to go. He quickly sat down in his chair and furiously began filing through papers. His eyes wandered to his left and he noticed that he wasn't the only one running late that morning. 

"Where's Potter?" He said and immedietly regretted the malice that was contained in his name when he said it.

"He has special lessons with the top Aurors of the Ministry at least once a week. We never know when he'll be gone. They just come in, take him, and expect us not to ask questions." Hermione said without looking up from the piece of parchment she was currently scribbling away on. She brushed a stray curl out of her face and back up into the loose bun at the nape of her neck. "You know, him being who he is and all. They figure he should be better prepared than the rest of us." 

"Especially if we're right in our theory that You-Know-Who has returned." She added in a hushed voice out of Ron's hearing range. 

Adonis nodded and turned to look at the stack of papers in the "In" box on his desk. They towered a good six inches over the top of his head. Sighing, he took the paper on the topmost of the stack and began reading over it. Twenty pages into the pile he was already cursing himself for taking the Auror job. He had thought it was going to be all about fighting dark wizards, but he had soon realized that only very qualified Aurors got to do that. The younger ones did the research for them and occasionally were allowed to follow up on the smaller jobs.

After three hours of reading and re-reading papers he had finally transferred the majority of the stack into the "Out" box. He put the cap back on the green highlighter he had been using to mark important information in the documents and placed it on the desk.

"I'm going to break for lunch and walk over to the bakery down the street. I'll see you guys in about an hour." He removed his coat from the back of his desk chair and exited the office. Ron stood up and stretched his arms behind him.

"I'm gonna go see if Harry's done with morning training and then to get a bite to eat." He said as he headed towards the door. "You want to come 'Mione?" But he was out the door and down the hall before she could answer him.

"No Ron, but thanks for asking." She said sarcastically to herself. Ever since they had graduated Hogwarts and become Aurors it had been this way. She had become the third wheel all over again. Since Ron was the Minister's son and Harry was the Auror's golden boy they had stuck together even more so than they had at Hogwarts, expecting her to find everything they needed to know out for them.

Hermione stood up and took her handbag from the coat rack in the corner of the room. She slung the bag over her shoulder and locked the office door shut. She walked through the maze of hallways and finally arrived outside, pushing open the doors into the crowded street. Immediately, she was caught up in the hustle outside as people made their way to and fro around the road. Hermione walked close to the windows, peering inside at all the people.

There were happy couples feeding each other small bites of food when they thought no one was looking, families sharing an afternoon together, and groups of friends passing the time by just sitting around and talking. Everyone was enjoying everyone else's company. Hermione's heartstrings were pulled towards these people and she felt completely alone, lost in the bustle of people around her.

She stopped in front of the window of Bread n' Butter, the bakery. Sitting there alone in the darkest corner of the restaurant was Adonis. He was the only person she had seen so far that was accompanied by anyone else. Sitting by himself at the table he looked almost childlike, like he was lost.

Taking a deep breath she pushed the door open and cursed the bell that hung over it when it rang as she entered, sounding her arrival. She casually strolled over to the counter and ordered a buttered croissant. She gave the baker a sickle and three knuts and slowly ambled across the restaurant to the table where Adonis sat. Suppressing the butterflies fluttering about in her stomach, she tentatively reached out her hand and tapped his shoulder twice.

"Mind if I join you?" She asked in what she hoped was a confident voice. He swiveled his chair around and looked her straight in the eye. Her grin quivered as he held her gaze, but then the corners of his eyes smiled back at her and she relaxed.

"Not at all. I was hoping someone would join me. I don't much like eating alone, although I've had to do it quite a bit recently." He turned his chair back to the table as she took the seat across from him.

Several minutes ticked by while they both ate in silence. Hermione swallowed the last bite of her croissant and wiped her mouth with the paper napkin they had given her. She crumbled up the napkin and tossed it several feet to her left where it landed neatly inside the waste bin.

"Nice shot." Adonis said admiringly. He threw his own napkin and missed the trash by inches. Shrugging, he stood up and threw it away the proper way. "We can't all have that talent.

He gave a small smirk and she felt as though her stomach had tied itself in knots. It was painfully familiar and made an impact on her much like a mallet hitting a gong. The expression vibrated through her body until she would feel its tingle in her fingertips.

_That's not possible._ She told herself. _You only met him a few days ago._

"We still have about half an hour before we have to be back. You want to walk around? You can show me the sites. I haven't really taken a good look around yet." He stepped backwards towards the door. His voice shook her out of her thoughts and she looked up, puzzled, still trying to register what he had said when she had been lost in thought. Noticing her confusion, he repeated his question. "Walk? Sites?" 

His stormy gray eyes bored into hers. She blinked several times, clearing her head of its previous thoughts.

"Oh right, sorry. I blanked out for a minute." She stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder again. "There's really not much to see here, but I'll show you what there is."

She waved at the baker as she left and Adonis obediently followed her outside. He squinted in the bright sunlight and quickly placed his dark sunglasses over his eyes.

"I was hoping I'd be able to talk to you over lunch break." He said as they walked down the street. "Thought that we could go over what we found out in the library. Is there anyplace where we won't be overheard? Don't want to cause a mass riot of panic you know."

Hermione thought about all the places in the town where they could possibly go. Her eyes were still fixed on the horizon. Images of the town's scenery flashed through her mind.

"The park." She realized. Grabbing his arm, she quickly changed direction and led him two blocks down a small side street to the park. As she had thought, it was completely empty. Not many children lived in the town and it had become overgrown from lack of maintenance. 

The once highly polished sign now hung from one rusty hinge, creaking in the wind. Hermione walked through the small gap between two towering hedges and led him to a bench nearby. He hesitantly sat down next to her, not sure the rickety bench would hold both of them. The wood looked as though it was nearly completely rotten.

Under the shade of a nearby maple tree, he found he no longer needed his sunglasses. He removed them and stuck them back in his jacket pocket. When he turned back to Hermione he saw that she was surveying his every movement, obviously anxious to begin their conversation. 

"Now, do you really believe that You-Know-Who's returned?" He asked quietly, paranoid that someone was listening in on them.

"Well, all the signs point to it but I just don't see how it's possible. He was destroyed. I'm sure of it. I helped kill him and watched him die." She furrowed her brow in confusion, as his eyes grew wide at what she had just said.

"You helped in Voldemort's demise? I only heard about Potter killing him." He once again cursed himself for the way he said the name. "What happened? Can you tell me or has Dumbledore sworn you to secrecy?"

"You know about Dumbledore?" She inquired. "But you went to Beauxbatons didn't you? How…" Her voice trailed off.

Adonis mentally kicked himself for his error. _You're not Draco Malfoy, you didn't attend Hogwarts, and you need to stop making slip ups. Your name is Adonis Migro now, your past is nothing._

"Everyone knows Dumbledore." He said effortlessly, if there was one thing he had always prided himself on it was his ability to think on his feet. "He's on the Chocolate Frog cards. Plus he's always in the Daily Prophet. Hard not to know who he is really. I just assumed since you were teamed up with Potter that Dumbledore would have some say in the matter."

"Oh…" She said quietly. She was about to relive one of the hardest days of her entire life to an almost complete stranger. She hadn't even talked about this with Harry and Ron, and they had been by her side the entire time, living the experience alongside her. Taking a deep breath she began her story.

"Well, I suppose I should start at the beginning. As you know He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named returned at the end of our fifth year at school. Ever since that day Harry became obsessed with defeating him. It was all he could think about. During our sixth and seventh years he studied harder than I've ever seen anyone else do. He had his mind set on becoming an Auror and was going to do whatever it took to become one.

"Unfortunately, the next time You-Know-Who attacked Harry hadn't become an Auror yet and didn't have the extra skills he possesses now. 

"That night You-Know-Who had come to the school through the floo network disguised as a worker from the Ministry and had asked to be taken to the Gryffindor Tower because he had urgent news for Harry about the death of his godfather. He had then taken Harry away after placing him under a full body bind. Ron had heard Harry protesting from upstairs and immediately run to the common room where he witnessed Harry being levitated out of the open window and out into the stormy gray night. 

"Without hesitating he had woken me up and together we followed Harry on two broomsticks, Harry's Firebolt and Ron's second-hand Nimbus 2000. 

"We had flown for miles until finally arriving outside a tall black castle. They tracked the Dark Lord deep into the heart of the castle and into a large room made of black obsidian that opened to the sky. 

In the center of the room was a dueling ring decorated with silver and white serpents around the edges of the circle, all baring their fangs at whoever was inside. 

"Harry had been at a stand off with Voldemort when they had arrived. Each of the duelers had their wand in the ready position. After sending one glance towards us, we all raised their wands and preformed the killing curse at the same time. The Death Eaters apparated before the lifeless body of their leader hit the ground. I know that's not very detailed, but you got the just of it."

"Why didn't you tell the Prophet what really happened?" He asked once he had digested what she had told him. She simply shrugged and shook her head.

"I don't care about people knowing I was there. Harry's the one people want to hear about; he's the hero." They sat for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts, before just as Adonis had feared, their combined weight became too much for the old bench, and with a loud _crack_ it collapsed.

Hermione sat wide-eyed in shock next to Adonis amidst the pile of debris. He stood up and brushed the dirt off his clothing before holding out a hand to help her up.

"Are you alright? Nothing broken I hope." She took his hand and stood up. Still slightly off balance from the fall, she stumbled forward until her body came in contact with something very solid. The silken material of his shirt was cool and smooth against her cheek. His strong hands went to her shoulders to steady her.

"Sorry, I'm fine. Just a little shaken." Her cheeks flushes crimson as she brushed her loose curls away from her face.

"Don't worry about it, no harm done." He gave her a small smile and returned his hands to his sides. "We're late for work, we'll have to hurry."

Adonis quickly turned on his heel and took off at a brisk jog. Hermione followed his as best she could, but it was hard to run in heels. She was concentrating so hard on not tripping that she didn't realize they were going the wrong way until they hit a dead end.

"Honestly," she huffed and turned around. "Follow me… Wait, do you know how to apparate?" He nodded." Then I'll see you momentarily." With a small pop she disappeared, and he soon followed suit.

Harry and Ron were lounging in their chairs when the pair returned.

"A little late aren't you? Everything alright Herms?" Harry asked. She rejoiced that there was a trace of real concern in his voice.

"Yeah, it's okay, just lost track of time. Have a good lunch?" She sat down in her own chair.

"It was alright, nothing special." The four partners silently returned to their work. Several hours later Ron was the first to speak.

"Well, it's time to go, see you guys tomorrow." With a loud crack he apparated to his flat. Harry mumbled something about leaving and disappeared as well.

"Are you gone too?" Adonis asked as he and Hermione prepared to leave.

"It's a nice day, I think I'm going to walk home. It's only a few blocks."

"I'll walk with you, at least as far as my flat." The two Aurors walked down the street again. It was slightly less crowded this time. He stopped in front of a five story, brown building. "Well this is my stop. I'll see you tomorrow, Hermione."

"Have a nice evening, Adonis." She smiled before continuing down the road. Long after she was gone the sound of his fake names on her lips still haunted his conscience.

-=-=-=-

You obviously read the story so please review and tell me what you thought. I love getting feedback! *grin*


	6. Chapter Six

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I was really proud of that one. Anyway, I'm going to start getting more in depth into the plot now, so it'll be more interesting to read from now on, I hope! Enjoy~

-=-=-=-

The next day everyone at the Ministry was up and about placing wards around the entire building. Adonis entered the office as he did every morning to see Harry and Ron sitting silently on the black leather couch.

"Well aren't we a cheerful bunch this morning?" He said as he hung his coat up and nonchalantly walked over to his desk. Sitting down, he blindly reached for the 'In' box on his desk, but his hand only grasped air. Quirking an eyebrow, he turned his chair back to his two partners. "Where's Hermione? She's normally here before any of us."

The two Aurors shot him looks that could kill. Immediately, he wished he had kept his mouth shut. For several minutes the three men sat in an awkward silence. 

"She's gone." Ron finally muttered, running both hands through his violent red hair. Both Harry and Ron looked as though they hadn't gotten any sleep the night before, and Adonis was starting to realize why.

"Gone, what do you mean gone? Did she go on vacation or something?" He asked hesitantly, not wanting to make the two men any more flustered. 

"Gone, as in she's no longer here." The redhead answered sarcastically. "According to someone who lives in her building, she was walking up the steps to her apartment and then just vanished into thin air. She hasn't come back yet."

"We don't think she apparated, because it didn't make a noise. Besides, she would have been back right now. She's never left without giving us some type of notice before." Harry added, his normally vivid green eyes looking glazed and tired. 

"Has she been the only other person reported missing lately?" He asked, the urgency showing in his voice. If what he thought had happened to her had actually occurred than they might never see her again. There was a possibility that it was already to late to save her.

"No, actually." Harry said skeptically. "There were four other people who vanished yesterday. People by the name of Acetone, Hannot, Brige, and Malfoy." 

"Malfoy? Narcissa Malfoy?" Adonis said, immediately shooting up in his chair. The name wound itself around his heart like a snake and constricted itself. Harry reached for the piece of parchment in front of him and skimmed the page quickly.

"Malfoy, Narcissa. Yeah, that's her. Why?" The gray eyed man didn't say anything. He simply shook his head and stared in disbelief at the wooden floor. 

__

Why in the world would He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named want her_? She's a pureblooded witch, not one of the muggleborns or muggles he's after. _

There was only one thing he could think of that would qualify for her capture, and the name echoed through his head like church bells ringing. 

Lucius. _Could it be possible that he never forgave my father for what he did?_ _But that was years ago... He would have had to have gotten over it by now, wouldn't he? _

"What was that?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow at the confused looking black haired man sitting across from him. Adonis snapped out of his daze, looking up at his partner.

"Nothing, just thinking to myself. Sorry." Both Aurors noticed the look of fear and confusion that passed over their newest partners face but said nothing of it. They let him mull over whatever it was he needed to think about. "Where does Hermione live?"

"15 Sparrow Avenue, apartment 3B." Ron answered without thinking. He then looked across the coffee table at Adonis, distrustfully. "Why?"

"I'm going to go check it out, look for clues as to where she might have gone. Doesn't look like we'll have any work today." He stood up from his chair so fast that is rolled back and collided with the wooden desk behind it. Quickly, he strode towards the coat rack and grabbed his jacket.

"Look for clues? You sound like a bloody muggle detective." Harry said, smirking slightly. Ron looked at them both, confused.

"Detective? What's that?" Adonis quickly left the room as Harry attempted to explain what a detective was to Ron using many flamboyant hand gestures.

For ten minutes he anxiously pushed his way through the crowded streets until he arrived outside a small white brick building on Sparrow Avenue. Swinging one of the French doors open, he took the stairs two at a time and jogged the rest of the way down the hall until he arrived at 3B. After muttering 'Alohomora' under his breath, he impatiently opened the door and stepped inside the apartment. 

The emptiness of the room surprised him. He had assumed that she was the type of girl who would have bookshelves lining the walls filled with old volumes she'd found at used bookstores or gotten from her grandmother. Her walls were completely empty, and what books she did have were either in the dozens of boxes lining the room's walls or strewn across her few pieces of furniture. It actually reminded him a lot of his own apartment, cold and empty. 

One chair in particular caught his eye. It looked more used than the others, and looked as though the seat was about to wear through. Stacked around the chair were multitudes of books. Some of the volumes were thick, others thicker. Scattered amongst the books and across the cushion of the armchair were pieces of crisp new parchment. 

As he neared the other side of the room he could recognize Hermione's tiny scrawl covering the papers. He could see her smudged fingerprints along the edges of the paper; it was obvious she had been writing late at night. He picked up one of the documents and began to scan the page.

__

The reports of missing people have been mainly centered around a small town in the English countryside called *New Point. From what I found out at the library it's a sparsely populated place with lots of flat, open land. It sounds like the perfect place for him to open up one of his camps. No one would ever know it was there. That's my best guess for where all these people are being held. I only hope that we can figure all of this out before any of them are killed¼

"She's been researching without me¼" He muttered to himself, but smiled slightly anyway. "She always was ahead of the game."

His eyes grew wide as he noticed one word written with extreme delicacy in the corner of the parchment. _Adonis_

Feeling his heart catch in his throat, he sunk down into the armchair, crunching several of her papers in the process. He could only think of one reason that she would have written that down, and he hoped with all his might that he was wrong. If she got attached to him, or vice versa, it could mean horrible things for both of them. Yet, he couldn't help the happy feeling that came over him when he read his name on her paper, meant for only her eyes to see. It gave him a feeling of being wanted, needed. The only other time he had ever felt that way was around his mother, and he didn't know what to think about it.

Snapping out of his daze, he grabbed the piece of parchment and exited her flat, making sure to lock the door behind him. It took him only a few minutes to arrive back at the Ministry building where Harry and Ron still sat side by side on the couch glaring menacingly at the wall opposite from them. He stood in the doorway, catching his breath from sprinting to the office.

"Honestly you two, are you going to just sit around and mope all day or are you going to help me?" He said between large breaths of the air. Both men looked up at him, clearly confused. "I went to Hermione's apartment. I think I know where she and most of these other people are, or she knew. She wrote it on this. Now come on, we need to get some more people to come with us. There's no way we can do it ourselves."

He held out the piece of parchment to Harry, who hesitantly took it from him. He held it out to Ron and they both quickly scanned the paper, their eyes growing larger by the second.

"So this New Point place, that's where Hermione is?" Ron said, looking up from the parchment to the black haired man in the doorway. Adonis took the paper away before either of them realized what else she had written.

"That's her theory, and when have you ever known Hermione's theories to steer you wrong?" Adonis answered and smirked slightly. Harry quirked an eyebrow at him.

"What would you know about Hermione's theories? You've worked here a grand total of a week." The bespeckled man questioned. Adonis could feel some of the color drain from his face, but he kept the same confident smirk. He knew his collected composure was fading fast.

"It's an assumption Potter. She's the smartest witch I've ever met. Now, come on, get up. We have to go; it might already be too late." He hoped his voice came out sounding sure of himself, although he was almost positive he had used his signature drawl. He turned to leave and head the sound of two sets of footsteps following him. "Any ideas on who would be willing to come with us?"

__

I've got to stop making so many bloody slip-ups. He told himself.

"Anyone in this sector really, but I know who I want to come." Harry said, pulling ahead of Adonis. "Follow me." And so they did. Through a labyrinth of hallways, twisting and turning in every direction imaginable they followed him without speaking a word. By the time Harry stopped Adonis was sure they had walked upside down at least once.

"So where are we Potter?" He asked, looking at the door. It didn't have the nameplates on it like their office did. It was a plain wooden door that had been painted black what looked like several years ago, for it had started to fade and chip around the doorknob. 

Harry didn't answer his question, he knocked on the door three times before turning the knob and entering the cluttered office. Inside were two men, huddled over a box of take out Chinese food.

"You got the last piece of beef last time!" One of them shouted at the other. "I'm telling you it's my turn!"

"That's where you're mistaken, my dear Padfoot. I got the last piece of _chicken_ last time. You got the last piece of beef. Therefore it is _my_ turn." And before the man called Padfoot could protest further, the other speared the piece of beef on his fork and ate it.

"Guys, can you stop fighting over food for a minute? We all know that you have five containers of the same thing at home to eat later. We need your help now." Harry said. Both men looked at him and smiled. Adonis recognized them once he saw their faces. One was the notorious Sirius Black, who'd been all over the Daily Prophet during their second year at school, and the other was none other than Remus Lupin, his old professor. It was then that he realized that he was probably gaping at the pair of them and shut his mouth.

"Hey Harry! Haven't seen you in a while. How have you been? Good I hope, haven't been eating any of your own cooking have you?" Sirius said, a smile lighting up his face. He still looked like a man who hadn't seen the light of day in five years, but the color was returning to his cheeks and he had regained most of the wait lost while in Azkaban.

"We can chat later Sirius, we really need to go now. I'll explain on the way." Harry said and motioned to the door. Both men stood up to follow him, and the group of five entered the hallway again. "We have one more person to get. I think it'll be safer if I do it since he still hates you Sirius, no matter how many times I tell him you two are on the same side."

"Oh no, Harry, you don't mean... _He's_ not coming is he? Please tell me you're kidding. You have to be." Sirius looked dumbstruck. The look on the grown man's face was so comical Adonis nearly chuckled but caught himself just in time.

"He has to come, he's one of our most valuable allies, and you know that. Honestly, I don't see why you two can't just get over it. It was a long time ago. I mean, he doesn't hate me anymore. Why should it be different for you?" Harry said, sighing.

"You're one to talk. I don't see you being buddy-buddy with that Malfoy boy." Lupin responded. Harry visibly stiffened but continued walking at the same brisk pace. Adonis felt stomach jump up into his throat when his name was mentioned. _Don't say anything, don't screw up again._ He willed himself.

"That's different." Harry said shortly. "No one's seen him for months. It's like he's vanished or something. Not that the world's not a better place for it."

__

You're crossing the line now Potter. If you only knew what I've had to go through because you lived.

"See? You're still talking bad about him. Give him a little break, look at who he had for parents. It's no wonder he turned out the way he did." Lupin said.

__

He did not just insult my parents. My father would be alright to ridicule, but to include my mother... Before Adonis retorted at him, Sirius spoke up.

"Don't insult the boy's parents. Lucius was the only bad one of the pair. You read about what he did to his wife." He said. Adonis glanced over and saw a fire alive in the man's eyes that hadn't been there before.

"Okay, fine. But my point is Harry, even if he hadn't disappeared would you have tried to make things good between you two?" The ex-professor said, giving Sirius a knowing look. Harry simply mumbled something incoherent and continued leading the pack down the narrow hallway. Once they arrived outside the building he excused himself to go fetch the final member of the party. The remaining four stood silently until he and a rather disgruntled looking Snape returned.

"Potter, you didn't tell me _he _would be here." He said and looked down his crooked nose at Sirius.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Snivillus. I'm not exactly thrilled to see you either." Sirius said and frowned at the taller man.

"Really, Black. I really had hoped we were over this name calling business. It's rather juvenile don't you think?" The potions master gave him a fake smile before turning his attention to Harry. "Now Potter, would you mind telling us why we're all here?"

"Yeah Harry, you didn't tell us either. What's going on?" Lupin added.

"Well, actually, I'm not really completely sure. Adonis is the one that told me and Ron about it so I'll let him explain it to you." Harry said, scratching his head. He motioned for the other man to step forward.

"Alright, well, how to put this shortly... As you all probably know there have been lots of disappearances lately of muggles and muggleborns. Well, Hermione and I did some research and it turns out that there was a similar instance to this one a few decades ago, so we wondered if they could be linked. 

"Last time You-Know-Who kept all of the people in these things called concentration camps where he tortured them and killed them all off. That is, until Dumbledore finally made the Ministry what was happening, and they got some forces together, teamed up with some muggle troops from Europe and the United States, and went after him.

"We think that he's trying to do the same thing again, or one of his followers is since he was defeated several years back." The five men before his murmured their agreement on that. 

"Anyway, Hermione was taken last night. I searched her apartment and found that she had been doing some research in her spare time and she narrowed down all the possible places they could be to New Point. So that's where we're going." He said. By the end of his speech all of the men, even the older ones, were shocked speechless. Sirius was the first one to speak up.

"Has anyone else we know been taken?" He asked, raiding his mind for the names of any muggleborns he knew.

"No one else from the Ministry, Hermione is the only one. It's funny that you should mention the Malfoys Lupin, because on our records Narissa Malfoy was the only pureblooded person to be abducted." Harry said and turned to the man on his right.

"Narcissa." Sirius corrected him. He brushed off his robes with his hands before continuing to speak. "Well, what are we waiting for? Time's wasting, let's go."

With a sound like a gunshot all six men apparated to a place called New Point in the English country side, not completely prepared for what awaited them when they arrived.

-=-=-=-

*New Point is a town I created myself, not a real place. So don't go looking for it! You might get lost, and I don't want to have to take responsibility for finding you.

Okay, sorry for the wait for this chapter! I know you haven't suffered too much though for I received no threatening e-mails, that's when I know I had better start writing faster! 

If you got down this far on the page you obviously read the story, so please review now! Loved it, hated it, I need to know so I can make it better. Plus the button is conveniently located at the bottom of the page. **Review please!**


	7. Chapter Seven

Once again, sorry for the wait. I know the speech is getting a little old but I'm really pressed for time right now with school starting up and everything-I'll try and do better. .  
  
This chapter is going to get confusing with names again. Remember Adonis=Draco.  
  
-=-=-=-  
  
The group arrived in a long forgotten field several miles out of the main town area. Looking around they saw only unattended brush and weeds surrounding them on every side, preventing their escape. No where to be seen was a place to house the missing people.  
  
"Any muggles around?" Sirius said as his eyes scanned the horizon. "No? Good." With a quick wave of his wand a path was cleared before them.  
  
"Right then. Everyone follow me, wands at the ready." Snape announced and began down the pathway. His own wand was clutched tightly at his side. The others followed, Sirius bringing up the read to put as much distance as possible between the Slytherin and himself.  
  
For what seemed to the voyagers like hours they trekked through the field. It was as if they were making no progress at all. The grasses looked identical to one another. More than once on the journey Adonis wondered if they were going in circles. As they neared the edge of the upcoming forest afternoon turned to dawn, green changed to brown, and they found themselves standing at the base of a giant black fortress.  
  
Adonis frantically glanced around them, looking for an opening. Everywhere he looked he saw only more of the barrier. When he turned to the rest of the group astonished eyes looked back at him, never leaving his face.  
  
"What?" He asked, irritated. The constant stare made him uncomfortable and self-conscious. He nervously ran a hand through his hair. "What are you all looking at?" Harry was the first to speak up.  
  
"Malfoy?" He said, his eyes narrowing to angry slits behind his ever present glasses. Adonis could feel the blood drain from hi face as the others threw him appalled looks.  
  
"W-what are you talking about Potter?" He stuttered, attempting to remain calm but failing miserably.  
  
"I knew it." Ron said. "I knew there was something fishy about you from the start. So what was your plan? Going to lure us all inside and get us killed? That is so like you." He growled, pointing his wand at Draco's throat. "Never trust a Slytherin."  
  
He'd been found out. His identity had been revealed. The group stood in a semi-circle around him, pinning him to the wall. Even Snape had his wand drawn, although he wouldn't bring himself to look him in the eye. Regaining his composure he began to defend himself.  
  
"It still amazes me how incredibly wrong you can be sometimes, Weasley. I'd nearly forgotten." He said with a smirk. "I applaud you for all figuring out my true persona, although since it's probably because my appearance charms have been broken I suppose I can't give you too much credit.  
  
"That does however," he said, his voice hiding the fear growing within him, "seems rather odd to me since I have not had to repeat the spells since arriving here and I highly doubt that they would simply wear off at such an inopportune moment. My only guess is that after passing through the port hole, the powerful magic that created it must have reversed the spells. That would explain why our friend Weasley here now has so many more freckles than before." Ron's wand was by this time pressed so hard into his neck he was sure it would bruise. Before they could mutter a spell he went on.  
  
"However, your assumptions for my leading you here could not be more wrong. After all, if any of you ever took the time to read the Daily Prophet you would know that my family is no longer in union with the Dark Lord and I doubt even bringing Wonder Boy here to him would erase the past. Even if you doubt that I am coming here to help rescue Hermione," Ron's wand pressed harder, "you must remember that my mother is still inside and I have no hope of rescuing her by myself. So if you would be so kind, please remove your wand from my jugular vein and let's get on with this, shall we?"  
  
"What good would that do?" Ron said, never loosening his grip. "We could kill you right now and it wouldn't matter. We can rescue Hermione without you."  
  
"Au contraire, Weasley. Like it or not you do need me to get inside. I know dark spells you've never even heard of that you would need later on if you want to rescue her instead of kill her."  
  
"That's not true!" Ron spat back. "Snape was a death eater, he'll know the spells. There's nothing you could possibly do for us that we couldn't do ourselves."  
  
Snape visibly stiffened, a reddish tone flushing his normally sallow face. His black eyes shot daggers at Ron's back.  
  
"Once again I much correct you. Was Snape ever exposed to You-Know-Who's inner circle?" Without waiting for an answer he turned to the potions master. "Can you tell me what a Morsus curse does?"  
  
The older man's mouth opened and closed several times while he thought of the answer, making him look like a fish out of water.  
  
"That's what I thought. Now if you don't mind," he said angrily, "I'd be much obliged if you'd all lower your wands and follow me."  
  
He grabbed the end of Ron's wand and pulled it away from his throat, feeling the bruising skin with his fingertips. With a final glare at the redhead he pushed his way through the semi circle and began to follow the wall. Until he arrived at the end of the building he hadn't been sure if the rest of the men had followed him. He turned to see them all several steps behind him, still eyeing him warily. Peeking around the edge of the building he could see the looming entrance guarded by half a dozen men in hooded black cloaks.  
  
"There are six of them at the door." He said, turning back to the group. "I think a simple stupefy charm would get them out of the way long enough for us to get their uniforms and get inside. But first things first," he said, whipping out his wand and pointing it at Harry. Immediately all wands were at his throat again.  
  
"Exolesco," he said, pressing his want tip to Harry's forehead. The once vivid lightening bolt scar had faded to all but a thin line. "All right, now we're ready. On my count. Three - Two - One - Go!"  
  
The six men jumped out from being the wall, screaming the charm. One by one the guards fell to the groung. They dragged them around to the side of the building and stripped them of their uniforms before taking their wands and binding their hands and feet. They put the uniforms on themselves and slowly made their way to the door.  
  
With no one to stop them they stood before the looming barricade, looking all around for anything that might activate its opening. The gleaming black walls shone in the morning light, the only things that stood out were the entwined snakes bordering the entry and two words etched in above them.  
  
"Morto remembori." Draco said, studying the immense detail put into the lettering. "It's Latin, but what does it mean?"  
  
"Nothing good I'll bet," said Ron. He ran his fingers down the door and attempted to push it open. Nothing happened.  
  
"It sounds familiar-" Draco mumbled half to himself. "My father used to say it to me whenever I did something that displeased him. He translated it once but I-" his voice faded to nothing as Harry stepped forward, eyeing the inscription.  
  
His eyes searched the snakes carefully, looking for any clue that would help to open the vast doorway.  
  
"Morto remembori-" he repeated, but all that came out of his mouth was a dull his. The snakes' eyes began to glow a vivid emerald green and the door vanished. Before them was a long obsidian road, branching off to either side.  
  
They hesitantly stepped inside, each of them feeling that any place that was this easily entered couldn't be good. The place was so quiet that their footsteps sounded like deafening thunder. No signs of life presented themselves. It was so dark inside it seemed as though even light was afraid of this place, whatever "this place" was. On either side of the road there were smaller black buildings. A feint light could be seen flickering in the windows. They stood alone, consumed by the silence.  
  
"That must be where they house people." Lupin said as his eyes scanned the buildings. "It actually doesn't look as bad as I thought it would, I'm surprised."  
  
Draco shivered besides the blistering head. The farther they went inside, the more sure he was that this couldn't possibly end well.  
  
"Hermione has to be somewhere in here, but where do we start looking?" Ron asked, his voice cracking with fear.  
  
"There." said Draco after some time, pointing to the largest building of them all. It loomed at the end of the road like a shadow. The air about it made the hairs stand up on the back of the group's necks and made them rethink why they were there at all.  
  
"Why there, Malfoy? She could be anywhere." Harry questioned quietly.  
  
"Because it's the main building of this place, most heavily guarded. You- Know-Who knows you would come to save her, Potter. So she's in the place that would lead you right to him." Draco explained and began down the path. Harry remained in his spot.  
  
"You sure know an awful lot about this place for not being a death eater." He accused. Draco's body visibly stiffened. He turned back to Harry with a look of enragement on his face.  
  
"If you had grown up with my father you would know more too. Every day having these things drilled into you, being the practice victim when he learned new spells, he thought this was my destiny. I know more than I ever wanted to know." And with that he pivoted on his heel and trudged back down the pathway. The others were too stunned by his outburst to do anything else except follow him in silent obedience.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity they stood in front of the door. There were no snakes to speak to on this one, simple a large silver knocker. Draco looked at the door, his shoulders slumped like those of a defeated man. The only things that had kept him going this far were the thoughts that Hermione and his mother needed him. Him. For once the boy wonder wasn't the one in charge. But the door had him stumped. They couldn't just knock and walk into this place. Voldemort knew each of his followers by name and face.  
  
"What now?" Ron questioned, oblivious to the look of puzzlement on Draco's face. Draco sighed in frustration and turned to Ron. The look he gave Ron silenced him for quite some time.  
  
"If I knew what to do know, Weasley, do you think I would still be standing in front of the door?" He looked all around the door, finding nothing of use to him. He sighed in defeat and banged his head against the stone surface of the castle wall. Snape's beatle black eyes studied that door with such intensity one would have thought it was a complex new potion. He pulled out his wand and shoved Draco to the side. Pushing back his sleeves he muttered what sounded to Draco like a very complex spell. His wand tip began to glow a brilliant red and he quickly drew a horizontal line across the door. The entry itself turned from it's ebony state to a translucent gray.  
  
"Don't waste anytime, it's not permanent." The professor said and pushed everyone through the quickly returning door. He only just stepped through before it turned solid again. He looked at the astonished expression on Draco's face and smirked slightly. "You obviously didn't learn that one from your father."  
  
"Come on then, we're wasting valuable time." Sirius said and pushed his way to the head of the pack. Keeping his wand out in front of him he led them down a dark hallway. They followed along silently, each of them nervously looking this way and that for any sign of invasion.  
  
'Why haven't we run into anything yet?' They all wondered but were too scared to say out loud. It all seemed too easy, as if they had gone too long without any conflict. It set all of them on their toes and made their hearts beat double time.  
  
The only door branching off the hall was one at the very end of the corridor. It seemed miles away. Their footsteps echoed off the walls around then, Surely someone would hear them and come running. Surely something had to happen before they reached the door. But it didn't.  
  
By the time they reached the entry they were all shaking with nerves. There was nothing special about the door. It looked as though it belonged in an ancient castle. The wooden surface was rotting and stained with moss. Harry reached out a shaky hand and turned the knob. As the door swung open the room came into view. Hermione and Narcissa lay unconscious on the floor at Voldemort's feet. He grinned maliciously at Harry.  
  
"Harry, so glad you could finally make it."  
  
-=-=-=-  
  
I PROMISE I won't take two months to get the next chapter out, I feel so bad for doing this to yall. You can yell at me in REVIEW if you want. *wink* 


	8. Chapter Eight

Draco stared in disbelief at the faces of his mother and Hermione. Only the slight rise and fall of their chests assured him that they were still alive. Hermione's eyes, normally full of warmth, remained empty and unblinking. A sick feeling rose into his throat as he looked at them, and for several moments he was positive he was going to be sick. Severe bruises in the shapes of hands and fists marred his mother's ivory skin. One of Hermione's arms was bent at an odd angle and was already showing signs of swelling. Still they didn't move, didn't speak, didn't blink. Seeing the only people who had ever cared about him, unconscious on the floor, united him with the people he was standing with. They all hated the person who had done these things.  
  
Harry stood opposing Voldemort, red eyes facing green, evil facing good, dark facing light. Time went by unnoticed as the two shares a silent mental duel. They east stood calculating who would make the first move. With feline grace, unexpected from such a decrepit man, Voldemort stood from his granite throne and walked towards his nemesis. Harry grimaced as he got closer. The spell placed on his scar faded with every stop the man took until there it was, more vivid than ever before.  
  
They both drew their wands and suddenly it was as if they were the only two in the room. Everything else faded away into an obis, unseen to them. Their eyes remained connected as Voldemort came to a complete stop several yards from Harry. Draco could nearly feel the anger coursing through them, the feeling was so intense. It made the room turn dark and cold and the tiny hairs stand up on the back of their necks. No one said it, but no one needed to. They all knew the outcome of this duel would be crucial to the fate of their world.  
  
"You were dead." Harry spoke at last. The tremble in his voice from long ago had faded now. He was no longer afraid of the man who stood before him. "I watched you die."  
  
"Yes, I was." Voldemort replied. Has the iciness in his voice not been so strong, Harry might have noticed the trace of amusement when he said this. "However, due to the extreme precautions by my servant Wormtail, I stand before you now very much alive and powerful once more." His eyes fell on Snape and his expression turned to one of pleasure, much like the one worn when a child plucks the wings off a butterfly. "Potions can come in very handy."  
  
Snape's eyes grew wide in shock and realization as he fully processed what his former master had said. His grip on his wand loosened and he remained motionless in disbelief. Draco looked from Voldemort to the professor in confusion until he realized no answers were going to be spoken now. The Dark Lord returned his attention to Harry, who had remained unmoving as if frozen by an unseen force.  
  
Finally, he opened his mouth to speak. Everything from that moment on seemed to happen in slow motion. The first spell of the duel was thrown by Harry. A stream of red light bounced off his opponent, but Voldemort remained untouched. He grinned smugly and cast a spell of his own. Harry dropped to the floor in pain. His body writhed as the curse flowed through his body. His eyes, however, remained open. He watched the caster of the spell with increasing hatred. The vivid green of his eyes darkened in anger until they were nearly black. Yet he didn't scream. During the entirety of the spell he remained silent. Even as Voldemort jerked his wand away and ended the spell, he didn't utter a sound.  
  
After the curse ended, he stood up and brushed himself off. The angry fire in his eyes now burning brighter than ever. Clutching his wand so tightly his knuckles turned white, he spoke a curse none of the people present ever dreamed they would hear him say. He preformed the spell to end all spells. As the green light poured from his wand tip and hurtled towards Voldemort, the snake lord just laughed. The spell reflected off him exactly as Harry's first spell had. For the second time, someone had survived the killing curse.  
  
"You didn't really think that would work, did you Harry?" he said with a sneer. "You cannot kill me. I told you, I went through extreme measures to prevent that." Harry frowned at him and slowly lowered his wand. He turned to Ron.  
"We have to go to plan B." he said seriously, his voice cracking from fear or nerves. Ron shook his head and didn't meet his eyes.  
  
"No, Harry. No." He choked out. "I can't do it."  
  
"Ron! We've talked about this. We've always said this is what we'd have to do if it came down to it. Its has! Just do it, now!"  
  
"But Harry-"  
  
"Ron! You'll never do it if you keep thinking. Tell Hermione-"  
  
"No Harry. You're going to tell her yourself."  
  
"Tell Hermione I said good-bye." He said slowly. He turned and ran at Voldemort. "Now!"  
  
"Avada kedavra." Ron said, his voice like a benediction. The light emitted from his wand wound around the two men. After a fleeting glance to his best friend, Harry's eyes closed for the final time. His glasses fell from his face and were crushed as the men hit the floor. The sound of their falling bodies echoed across the room and faded until the only thing remaining was the gentle sobbing of Ron. One would have thought that the death of the two most well known people in the wizarding world would have been more spectacular than simple a silent spell. Ron stared at the wand in his hand, broke it over his knee, and cast the pieces to the ground.  
  
The rest of the men stared as Ron ran to the side of his best friend and held him. They watched on, afraid to disturb such a scene. Each of them relived the moment in their heads, wondering what could possible have driven him to do such a thing.  
  
"You're so stupid, Harry. There are other ways we could have defeated him where you didn't have to go to." but by the tone of his voice they knew he didn't believe what he said. While he talked and cried, Draco's eyes wandered the room. They finally came to rest on his mother. She seemed not to move, and for a dreadful moment Draco was afraid that somehow the spell had affected her as well. Then she blinked. Draco immediately raced to her side, only to find that someone else had been quicker.  
  
Sirius crouched by her side, a line of concern on his forehead as he studied her bruises. Carefully, he fingered the purple skin beneath her right eye and frowned. Draco watched in horror as the ex-convict slid his arms around Narcissa and gently held her there. They were talking too quietly for him to hear what they were saying, but by the looks on their faces he was sure he'd rather not know.  
  
Turning his attention to the woman on the floor next to him, he sunk to the floor beside her. She was still coming about when he preformed a pain killing charm on her broken elbow. Looking up at him, she didn't have a trace of surprise on her face. On the contrary, she looked almost relieved.  
  
"Draco." She said, more of a statement than a question. "Finally."  
  
She reached up to tuck a stray piece of hair out of his face and smiled wearily. Before he could tell her anything, she passed back into unconsciousness. He gazed down at her limp form in confusion. Nothing had made sense to him today. He did his best to lift her without hurting her and carried her to where the rest of the group was waiting. He could feel the unevenness of several of her ribs under his fingers. Sirius stood with Narcissa cradled against his chest, and one look at their happy faces told Draco all he needed to know.  
  
His mother gave him a tired smile and glanced at the woman he held in his arms. The playful look on Narcissa's face told Draco that she would surely question him later. For now she simply closed his eyes and let herself be carried through the castle. No one noticed until long after they were gone that the potions master had fallen dead to the floor along with the pair, the dark mark throbbing red. They paid no heed to the fact that all around the camp there were death eaters lying dead on the ground. No one wondered why their party seemed smaller than before. And what a strange party it was. Two women being carried by men who looked as though they hadn't slept in weeks led the way, followed by a man who looked far too old for his age, and a man with violently red hair levitating the body of his former best friend brought up the rear.  
  
All around them people were celebrating their freedom at last, but the group could not have looked more grim. They silently walked back towards the port hole out in the lonely English countryside. No one said a word as they stepped through it and appeared on the other side. No one said a word as they apparated back to the Ministry building. No one said a word as they each went their separate ways. They had a silent agreement about what they all had to do.  
  
Sirius and Draco carried the two women towards the hospital wing of the building while Remus accompanied Ron to his father's office. The gasps could be heard to the other end of the hall as people witnessed the lifeless body of the Boy-Who-Once-Lived float by. Men, cursed, women cried or fainted, and it left and impact on everyone.  
  
The nurses in the hospital rushed to the two men. They levitated Hermione and Narcissa onto two of many beds in the facility. Spells were cast, potions given, and the men silently waited. An hour went by before the nurses pocketed their wands and stepped away. The blonde and brunette were left sleeping peacefully.  
  
"They'll be out for a bit." said the head nurse. "That was some powerful magic that did that to 'em, make no doubts about that." She eyed the men un-trustingly, but they were too tired to care.  
  
"You can wait in here if you like." said what appeared to be her assistant. They showed them their chairs beside each bed, and they sunk into them without question. Soon they were sound asleep as well.  
  
Night gave way into morning, and the sun creeping in through the window woke Hermione from her dreamless state. She blinked as her eyes became accustomed to the light. The surroundings were unfamiliar to her, and a sense of panic began to grow in her heart. Frantically, she glanced around the oversized room. She found herself in a place similar to one she had frequently been admitted into during her school days, and she sighed in relief as she realized it was only a hospital.  
  
She relaxed back onto the bed again and nearly cried out in pain at the jabbing in her ribs. They would clearly be sore for a while. It took her a moment to notice the people around her. Sirius held Narcissa's hand the next bed over as they both slept on, and then there was Draco. Draco who was sitting in a chair next to her bed. Draco who was using her mattress as a pillow. Draco who, whether he meant to or not, looked like an angel when he slept. Draco. He slept on silently, oblivious that the eyes of Hermione watched his every intake and exhalation of breath.  
  
"Draco," she called out to him softly and shook his shoulder. He frowned in his sleep and reached up to bat her hand away.  
  
"Five more minutes, still to early." He said and nuzzled his head further into the mattress. Grinning, she shook him harder until he finally opened his eyes. He groaned and looked up at her sleepily.  
  
"What are you doing here?" She asked. Slowly, he sat up and ran a hand through his untidy blonde hair.  
  
"I don't know where to start." he confessed. The strain was evident on his face as he tried to begin explaining. "Hermione, for the past few months I've been fooling all of you. You see, I AM Adonis. I know that's hard for you to understand, but it's true. I used appearance spells and-" "No, no. I know that part already. It wasn't that hard to figure out. I mean, why are you still here?" She attempted to sit up, but the pain in her chest kept her bed ridden. Instead, she tilted her head to look at him.  
  
"Well, we were tired last night and I guess I just fell asleep. I'm sorry, if you want me to leave-" he let his sentence hand in the air and half stood out of the chair.  
  
"No!" she said a bit too quickly. Recollecting herself, she repeated her answer more calmly. "No, you don't have to leave. Please, tell me what happened yesterday. Where are Harry and Ron? Is there another Hospital Wing for men?" His tired expression grew grave at her question. He knew he couldn't be the right person to tell her what is was that she wanted to know.  
  
"My guess would be at the funeral parlor." he quietly told her and kept his eyes on the ground.  
  
"Funeral parlor? But why would-" she began to say, but as realization of what he meant set in, her eyes glazed over with tears. "They had to go to plan B." she finished just above a whisper. "I hated plan B. You know, I was supposed to be the one to actually preform the spell. We all figured that I was the most skilled with a ward and would be able to do it. I guess Ron pulled through after all."  
  
"I'm sorry, Hermione. No one wanted it to happen." he said sorrowfully. It was almost painful for him to watch her so downtrodden. He grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. With a mumbled thanks, she took it and dried her eyes. "He wanted us to tell you that he says good- bye."  
  
That was more than Hermione could handle. Ignoring the pain in her ribs, she let out a loud sob and threw her arms around Draco's neck and buried her head in his shoulder, looking for comfort anywhere she could find it. Draco wasn't used to anything this physical. He could feel his body stiffen protectively under her touch, and he remained motionless.  
  
For several minutes they stayed like that before he finally loosed up and patted her back soothingly. She began to calm down and looked up at him, as if realizing for the first time exactly what she was doing. Her eyes grew wide in astonishment and she released him as if he had burned her.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" she trailed off. Draco could almost still feel her arms around him. The skin on his neck tingled from where she had touched him. For a moment he thought about holding her again, just to get that feeling, but the terrified look on her face kept him from doing so.  
  
"It's all right." he finally managed to say. "I don't mind, er, what I mean to say is, we all have a loss. I know you just needed to touch someone. I'm going to go check on my mother." He shot out of the chair and went to the next bed. Had he kept his eyes on Hermione he would have seen the small smile on her face as she watched him. She knew that she didn't need to touch just anyone.  
  
Sirius had left his post next to Narcissa's bed to find the pair something to eat. Draco took his chair and watched in admiration as his mother gazed out the window. One couldn't help put respect her poise and strength. She had been through so much in the past several years and still managed to come out smelling like a rose. Her eyes fell on his and she smiled broadly, happy to be able to look at her son without black hair again. She motioned for him to come closer, and when he did she traced the lined of his face with her fingertips, as if to make sure he was real. When she was satisfied they both relaxed and sat back. Narcissa was the first to speak.  
  
"I like you much better this way." she stated. "Adonis never suited you the way Draco does."  
  
"I don't know about that, mom." he replied sadly. "I found it much easier to be myself when I was Adonis. People didn't hate him, they didn't judge me before they knew me. It's kind of silly, really, if you think about it. I was more at home as someone else." His mother smiled grimly and turned her head to gaze out the window. The view was enchanted to look like the perfect day outside. Every now and then a flock of robins would fly past and chirp at the people inside. Draco knew that in reality the sky was dreary and gray, but the hospital tried to remain as cheerful as possible. Her blue eyes remained empty and sad, the window couldn't change that. She sighed and reached blindly for his hand.  
  
"Draco, Adonis was not who you really are. Like it or not you are a Malfoy, you can't change that. You may run from it, but I still see it in you. I can see it in your eyes, and your hair, and your nose, and here-" she pressed her hand to his heart. "It's in your blood. The pride and history of this family flows through your veins. You can't escape it, but you can improve it.  
  
"I know you'll never become the Malfoy your father was, and I'm extremely grateful for that. I'm only just now regaining my life from him. Some of the people he drove away from me may never come back, but I'm trying."  
  
"The day of dad's funeral, you told me about a man that you used to love-" Draco interrupted quietly. "That was Sirius, wasn't it." It was more of a statement than a question.  
  
"Yes," she answered with a shy smile. "It was. I don't know what's going to happen between us now, if anything will. It may have been too much time apart, emotions fade."  
  
"It'll work. I can see the way you two look at each other when you think no one's watching. It'll work." he reassured her.  
  
"Thank you. I hope you're right. I only have one request from you though. No matter what path you take for your life, go and live, Draco. That's all you have to do." Whether she meant to or not her eyes drifted to Hermione's bed beneath the window. "Go and live."  
  
Before Draco could respond, Ron burst through the doors of the infirmary, closely flanked by Remus.  
  
"Harry James Potter was pronounced dead at 12:34 a.m. last night." he said. His stiff posture revealed he was trying to be strong about the situation at hand. "The funeral service will be held tomorrow afternoon in the field at Godric's Hollow. I'm sure he would have wanted all of you to come."  
  
His shoulders sagged as if a heavy weight had been lifted, and he lowered himself into the chair beside Hermione's bed. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. Holding out her arms to him, they embraced. All the times Ron had forgotten her lately or left her out didn't matter anymore. They shared the same pain. They were comforted by one another, although they both knew things would never be the same between them. Harry had been the link that held them all together, and now that he was gone they knew things would change. Both reminded the other too much of their lost friend. With a silent good-bye, they released each other and Ron left without another word.  
  
When Draco turned back to his mother he found her fast asleep. He knew Sirius would return and wake her up soon to make her eat something. Placing a soft kiss on her forehead, he walked to Hermione's beside again.  
  
"I was going to go see what they have in the cafeteria. Do you want me to bring you back anything?" he asked her. She pondered this for a moment before nodding slightly.  
  
"If they have some coffee that would be wonderful."  
  
"You have to have more than just coffee." he replied with genuine concern. "Eat something."  
  
"Fine," she was secretly amused by how much he sounded like her father just then. "Some fruit then, if that satisfies you. Thanks."  
  
He smiled at her and silently left her bedside. With a happy sigh, Hermione watched him leave. Her eyes drifted around the room and settled on Narcissa's clearly not asleep face. The woman looking back at her was chuckling quietly.  
  
"I haven't seen him look at anyone that way since the last time that French modal stayed at our manor. Oh my, how he fancied her. Draco would follow her around like a love-sick puppy. It's nice to see him like that again." Hermione's eyes grew wider with every word the blonde spoke.  
  
"Oh no, Mrs. Malfoy. Draco doesn't think of me that way." she said quickly. "We hate each other, we've been enemies for years. Surely you knew that."  
  
"Oh of course." Narcissa replied. "But tell me, do all enemies wait by each other's side when death is knocking at their doorstep. Do they all go through such peril to save each other?" she paused and lowered her voice. "Do they all gaze at each other like they never want to look away?" Hermione reddened at her questioning and averted her eyes.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." she said unconvincingly. "It wouldn't work out anyway. We're too different."  
  
"Really now?" I would have said the problem was that you were too alike. Bright, studious, and blind to what's staring you in the face. It would work, you might just have to work at it a bit more than most." she finished with a flair.  
  
"What makes you think I would even want for it to work? He did nothing but be cruel to me at school anyway?" her voice sounded doubtful even to her.  
  
"Because you're not in school anymore, dead, and you know he's changed." Hermione didn't have a response for that. She opened her mouth but said nothing. The older woman seemed satisfied with this and turned away. They both waited in silence for their breakfast.  
  
-=-=-=-  
  
Draco wandered the halls in search of the cafeteria, cursing the building for not having a map handy. He passed a door reading "Minor Curse Relief: Dr. Louve Ere" and he stopped. This was the third time he'd passed the door; he was going in circles. With an exasperated sigh her turned and took a different hallway. After many more changes of direction and flights of stiars he found himself back in front of the door. However, this time he was not alone.  
  
Sirius was also there, looking just as bewildered as he was. He walked up and stood beside the older man, but neither spoke for some time.  
  
"I think every hall in this building leads to this room." he said grimly. "I've been looking for the cafeteria for an hour now and keep coming back here."  
  
"I think we should just admit defeat and go back to the infirmary." Draco answered. "If we can find it that is. Otherwise we'll probably never get back."  
  
"Oh, I know where the infirmary is." Sirius said. "Turn around."  
  
The sign above the large double doors behind them read "Healing Ward." Through the window he saw his mother talking to Hermione, who blushed and turned away. Whatever they had been discussing had made her uncomfortable. "So what will we do about food?" Sirius wondered aloud.  
  
"Well, we could conjure some. I don't know how good your cooking skills are, but mine leave something to be desired." Draco answered, grimacing at the memory of the last meal he'd made himself.  
  
"It's worth a shot." They both raised and made a real effort to make the meals correctly. Narcissa's pancakes were burnt, her orange juice was lumpy, while Hermione's coffee smelled of salt, and her fruit was over- ripe.  
  
"Maybe they won't notice." Draco said as he balanced the mean in his hands. "Or at least not say anything about it. We tried."  
  
The two men entered the hospital and gave the women their food. Both women grimaced as the aroma reached them but politely tried their means anyway. Hermione first took a sip of her coffee and promptly chocked. She quickly took a bite of her apple to wash the taste out of her mouth but couldn't even bring herself to swallow it. Draco blushed, embarrassed that he'd done such a horrible job with her meal.  
  
"What is the cafeteria serving these poor people? It's not enough that they're sick, but not their going to be poisoned as well?" Hermione said, her voice filled with disgust. Narcissa looked equally sickened and they both dropped their food in the nearby trash bin.  
  
Sirius and Draco stayed silent and kept their eyes on the ground. For a while the wing was quiet, then a moment of realization came over Hermione as she watched Draco.  
  
"You two made this, didn't you? You're the ones trying to poison us."  
  
"We couldn't find the cafeteria." he mumbled, and Hermione burst out laughing.  
  
"It didn't occur to you to ask for directions?" Draco looked up, stunned.  
  
"Well, no, actually. I didn't think it would be so hard to find." Hermione smiled and shook her head in amusement.  
  
"You're both hopeless. Hand me my want, I'll make my own breakfast." She said and held out her hand.  
  
"You don't actually HAVE a wand anymore." Draco told her. "He snapped it after he took you prisoner. Your's too Mum." he called over his shoulder. Hermione's face fell at his statement.  
  
"I'll have to get another then as soon as we can leave. Whenever that is."  
  
"You can go as soon as you've eaten breakfast." said a passing nurse. "Your personal belongings are in a box under your bed."  
  
"Thank you." Hermione answered. "Draco, give me your wand so I can have a decent meal and get out of here please."  
  
Draco handed it to her and almost instantly the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air around them. She drank and ate quickly, eager to leave confinement and get back to the real world. Changing into the hospital provided clothes, she returned to her bed from the bathroom and pocketed the few personal items in her box.  
  
"I'm going to go on down to Diagon Alley to buy a new wan I guess. I'll see you all tomorrow afternoon." She hugged them all good-bye, thanking Narcissa for her advice but when she got to Draco she paused. She held onto him perhaps a little longer than she shoudl have. He stiffened under her touch and for a moment time froze and he couldn't move. Slowly, his arms wrapped around her waist and he once again relished the feeling of her in his arms. For some reason she felt right there. He didn't realize how much time had passed until he felt her push against his chest to pull away. With some reluctance he released her and averted his eyes so she couldn't see his embarrassment.  
  
"Good-bye Draco," she said with a smile before leaving the room. She laughed under her breath; she had never thought that Draco would be shy at anything, but over the past few hours he's proved her wrong several times. Despite what she knew was probably wrong, she was drawn to this new side of him she'd come to know over the past several weeks. Narcissa had been right; he had changed since their school days.  
  
He watched as she left the room with a small pop. Turning his attention to his mother, he found both Sirius and her watching him with identical smug grins. In Narcissa's eyes, he could read her delight. She opened her mouth to speak, but he shook his head and silenced her.  
  
"I know mother, go and live." with a whip crack, he too apparated to Olivander's in Diagon Alley. Before he arrived he could hear her voice and Mr. Olivander rummaging through dozens of dusty boxes.  
  
"You say it was 12 3/4 inches? I doubt I have any more of those; they were quite rare. Only about a dozen made I'm afraid. A very unique size." The old man dais, quickly reading labels on boxes.  
  
"Yes, I'm positive. 12 3/4 inches, maple, with a-"  
  
"Unicorn hair at the core." he interrupted. "Oh yes, I remember now. Very flexible, wonderful for charms work. I'm afraid I don't have another. Why don't we just try several until you find another that suits you?" It was at this moment that he noticed Draco. "Ahh, young Master Malfoy. 14 inches, ash, dragon heartstring at the center if I'm not mistaken. How has it been treating you? Don't tell me you've lost it too. Young people today, never keep track-"  
  
"No sir, thank you. It's been treating me find; I still have it. I actually came to talk to her." he said before the wandmaster's famous "back in my day" speech could begin. Hermione's ears had perked when she heard his name, and she turned to face him, smiling inwardly at the appropriateness of his wand core. The old man gave him a knowing look.  
  
"Well all right then, I'll just be in the storage room looking for the young lady a new wand." He silently retreated to the back of the store.  
  
"Draco? What is it? Is your mother all right?" her questions came fast and frantic.  
  
"No, no. Everything's fine, it's nothing like that." he said to calm her nerves. "I just wanted to ask you if maybe you'd like to-"  
  
"Yes?" she asked as his voice failed him mid-sentence. Her question brought him back to reality and he panicked. What did he think he was doing? He couldn't ask her out; he wasn't good enough for her. How could he have even thought he was capable of doing such a thing?  
  
"I just thought you might like some company." he said quickly. Hermione smiled in thanks and nodded, but inwardly she sighed. She had been so sure that he was going to ask her out. Her heart, which had begun beating double time, slowed back to its normal rate. "And Sirius is keeping my mother company so, you know, I didn't have anything else to do."  
  
"Thanks, I'd like that." she said, though her voice sounded a disappointed. "I don't know how much fun this will be for you, I'm afraid. Unless you want to be my test subject that is." she smiled mischievously and he laughed, not quite sure if she was being serious or not.  
  
"I think I'll just watch if that's okay with you." he said and took a seat near the front of the shop.  
  
"Suit yourself." said Hermione with a shrug. As if sensing a lull in the conversation, the shop owner came bustling into the room, his arms heavily laden with boxes. He promptly deposited them onto the table and thrust a wand in her hand.  
  
"Try this. 12 inches, maple wood, phoenix feather core." She swished and flicked like the professional she was, and the light bulb above them exploded. Dusting glass bits out of his hair, he replaced the wand with another.  
  
"Perhaps this will be better." Time and time again she tried out wand after wand presented to her. His instinct for wands impressed her. On several occasions, he would take the wand back almost immediately, muttering to himself that it wouldn't work. After a pile of empty wand boxes began to grow, Hermione grew discouraged.  
  
"Here, try this. 11 ½ inches long, dragon heartstring, with holly tree wood." The moment her hand touched the wand she knew she would take it home with her. With a turn of her wrist, the wand box was transformed into a delicate jewelry box. Soft music filled the air as she opened it. A tiny silver star figuring stood inside and turned with the song. Gently closing the box, she transfigured it back into its original state.  
  
"I'll take this one," she said and deposited her money on the counter.  
  
"Splendid! Let's hope that is the last one you have to buy. Reckless children-"  
  
"Thank you very much, good-bye!" she said and pulled Draco out of the store. She too had heard stories of his infamous speech and wasn't interested in researching their truths.  
  
"Sorry that must have been really boring for you." she apologized as they walked towards the Hogsmeade portal.  
  
"On the contrary, I thought it was enjoyable. Trying to stay out of the way of all the flying objects was certainly an adventure." he said and gave her a sideways glance. "Although, not moving fast enough proved to be rather painful." He rubbed the side of his head where a candlestick had crashed into him.  
  
"I'm sorry about that. You're sure you're all right? No bleeding or anything?" she said and ran a hand over her own ear as if feeling the pain herself.  
  
"Yes, Hermione, I'm fine. Stop worrying so much. You'll start to sound like my mother."  
  
"I could think of worse people to sound like." she mused absentmindedly and stepping into the portal. They appeared in a damp alley behind the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. Several rats squeaked and hurried away. Hermione shivered. Every since her third year she had been paranoid about rats, and for good reason.  
  
They walked in silence to the front of the pub. The streets were filled with people celebrating over the final defeat of the Dark Lord. However, through the windows they could see the inside of the building was somber. Black drapes were hung over everything that would hold them, and a large picture of Harry hung on the west wall. The people inside were also dressed in complete black, mourning the loss of their hero.  
  
Seeing this brung tears to Hermione's eyes again. She had pushed the thought that Harry was dead to the very back of her mind, but now that she'd been reminded there was no stopping her crying. Her tears spilled freely down her cheeks, but she felt no need to brush them away. She cried without a sound, only the slight shaking of her body alerted Draco that something was wrong.  
  
"Hermione?" he asked and turned so that they were facing one another head on. "What is it?"  
  
She couldn't find her voice to speak, and could only lift her hand to point to the pub. He glanced inside and immediately saw what had gotten her so upset. He quickly pulled out of the way, to where she couldn't see inside and bent down so that their heads were level.  
  
"I know you're upset. I'm sorry about that, so sorry. I don't know if there's anything I can do to fix it, but if there is just tell me and I'll try. Anything." She looked up at his with water filled eyes, and he couldn't help thinking that he'd never seen her this way before. She looked alone and vulnerable right then, and it scared him. It was as if-  
  
He didn't get to finish his thought.  
  
Because right then, Hermione tilted her head up and pressed her lips to his in a gentle, salty, sorrow filled kiss. Draco was surprised to find that his body didn't freeze up at her touch this time. On the contrary, he found himself reacting quite eagerly to her. Her nose bumped against his as they both tilted their head in the same direction. She opened her mouth to apologize, but he silenced her quickly with a swift movement of his lips over hers that made her knees threaten to buckle.  
  
She wrapped her arms around his neck for support, and he in turn placed his hands on her waist. Even through the material of her skirt, his hands seemed to brand her skin. Hermione had kissed many men before, but it had never been like this. This was spontaneous, and sudden, and absolutely mind blowingly wonderful. No man had ever made her feel this amazing with only a simple kiss.  
  
By the time she pulled back they were both out of breath. She looked up for the first time and stared into the faced of half a dozen people that had gathered to watch. Her cheeks burned brightly and she buried her head in Draco's shoulder. He smiled politely at the spectators and led her away from the mass of people. Neither of them spoke, because there were no words that needed to be said. The walk to her apartment was silent, but not awkwardly so. He walked her up to the doors and they stopped.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow at the funeral." he said and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Until then, don't worry too much. I just live a few blocks away if you need anything."  
  
"Thanks, but I think I'll be okay." she said with a small smile. After saying good-bye, she walked inside, up the stairs, and through the door of her vacant apartment. Through her window she could see his tell-tale blonde head walking down the street. He held his shoulders higher than before, and he was facing the world head on with his eyes. It gave her a sense of pride to know that she was the one that had done that to him. Hermione fell into bed and slept soundly for the first night in weeks.  
  
-=-=-=-  
  
The following afternoon, a group of around three dozen people who knew Harry well gathered in Godric's Hollow. Condolences were shared, and many tears were shed on his behalf. Draco stood off to the side, he had already seen Harry's open casket and said what he had planned to say, now there was nothing for him to do but wait until the service began. Many of the people who had arrived had given him queer looks when they saw him, but no one had breathed a word to him.  
  
He was constantly on the lookout for Hermione, but he hadn't seen her arrive yet. He knew that she would probably have to talk to every person at the service once she arrived, but that she would eventually come to see him. He was impatient for that, and yet scared stiff at the thought. Thoughts of her had kept him awake the night before, he was sure the effects of lack of sleep were now showing on his face. He wanted to see her, but he was terrified that she would tell him everything she did yesterday was a mistake made out of her grief. Then he would look like a fool for behaving the way he did when she kissed him, and responding without any hesitation. He knew he had fallen for her, and fallen hard, but he couldn't be sure if she felt the same way.  
  
While he was contemplating, Hermione had arrived. She graciously thanked all the people who expressed their sympathies to her and walked through the crowd to where Draco stood. They looked at each other in unspoken understanding, and in one fluid moment, they touched their lips together again.  
  
For them time seemed to stop, the people around them vanished, because nothing mattered anymore. Hermione had found someone who made her forget her troubles, and Draco someone to make him forget his past. Neither of them knew what would happen to them tomorrow, or even after the funeral was over, but they didn't care. For the time being they had each other, and that was enough.  
  
-=-=-=-  
  
I'm sorry this took so long guys, but I hope the length made up for it. I wanted to end the story well, I hope you liked it. I've enjoyed writing this story, but I can't say I'm not glad it's over. I'll keep you all posted on my future writing. Happy reading everyone!  
  
Review please, it makes my life worthwhile. :) 


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